A WOMAN who made her neighbours’ lives a misery with a barrage of loud music and shouting has been hit with a fine.
 |
| [relatedPosts title=”Related Posts”] |
|
|
The Council first took action last September when Gemma Walker was served with a Noise Abatement Notice following complaints about noise from her property on Middlesbrough’s Park End estate.
Neighbours continued to complain of regular disturbances at the terraced house in Orpington Road, and sound recording equipment was installed to capture evidence of breaches of the notice.
The notice was breached three times in September, twice in October and on a further occasion in November.
Ms Walker was warned on several occasions about the noise nuisance from her property both in writing and in person, and she was made aware of the penalties for breaching the Noise Abatement Notice.
Action was subsequently taken under the Environmental Protection Act 1990, which makes it an offence to fail to comply with any requirement or prohibition imposed by an Abatement Notice.
At a hearing at Teesside Magistrates’ Court on April 23 Ms Walker pleaded not guilty to six offences of breaching the Notice, changing her plea to guilty just before a trial due to take place yesterday (Monday, July 29).
She did not attend court and the case was heard in her absence. She was fined £50 for each offence totalling £300, and ordered to pay the Council’s costs of £1,000 costs and a £15 victim surcharge.
Councillor Charlie Rooney, Middlesbrough Council’s Executive Member for Regeneration and Economic Development, said: “We all have a right to enjoy ourselves, but that must be balanced against consideration towards those around us.
“This sort persistent and unreasonable behaviour is totally unacceptable and this case shows we will not hesitate to take action to protect communities from this sort of nuisance.”
