Islington Tribune - by SIMON WROE Published: 31 August 2007
Patrol tracks down noisy parties, but only until 2am
IS the sound of Dizzee Rascal keeping your grandmother awake at three in the morning. Islington’s noise patrol team should be the first port of call when reporting noisy neighbours – but it clocks off at 2am every weeknight.
Bleary-eyed residents in Arlington Way, Angel, discovered this two weeks ago when they tried to report a parked car with music blaring
at 2am.
Michael Church, who lives nearby and works during the day as a music journalist, said: “I heard a huge din and looked out of the window to see a group of young men dancing around their car with the doors open, playing loud, loud rap music. “I rang the police but they told me it wasn’t their business, and that I should try the council. But when I rang the council they told me their noise control team had gone off duty.” He added: “What does this say about Islington Council’s keenness to provide environmental care if it can’t be bothered to stop noise pollution when it’s most important – in the middle of the night? It’s completely upside down.”
Mr Church went back to the police, who came round at 3am and asked the ravers to move on.
Town Hall Lib Dem deputy leader Councillor Terry Stacy said the council took nuisance noise seriously and that the Islington noise team ran a seven-day service, until 2am Sunday to Thursday and until 4am at weekends.
He added: “The noise patrol team operates during those times of peak demand. They respond to out-of-hours noise complaints the next day, and can also arrange visits out of hours, in cases where a persistent noise problem exists.”