Being away from the noisy clamour of crowds and traffic is relaxing and restorative for mind and body. As we head into a bank holiday weekend, certified Nature Therapy Guide Holly Barber, aka the Ecomonkey, ponders why natural noise is good for our health I’ve often heard people say that they love the peace and tranquility of time spent out in nature – perhaps in a woodland, a meadow or on a deserted beach – […]

We look at how we can keep the sounds of summer fun at a reasonable volume as we ease out of lockdown. Much of our socialising is still outdoors and this means more noise outside. This noise can be disturbing and annoying for people who live and work near venues and events. Restrictions during the last year meant changes to the way we enjoy food, drink and events. Our social lives largely moved outside to […]

Barking is one sign that your dog is suffering when left alone. The RSPCA fear dogs, especially those bought during the pandemic, may suffer separation anxiety as people return to work and social activities. Carrie Stones, Behaviour Change Campaign Manager at RSPCA, examines the issue. Many of us relate to the issues caused by barking dogs – as dog owners or neighbours of a dog that barks. At the RSPCA we often receive reports of […]

Anti-social behaviour (ASB) comprises a range of behaviours causing nuisance and annoyance or harm and distress to someone. It is a wide range of unacceptable activity including noise nuisance. Sharon McLoughlin, Head of Professional Practice at RESOLVE, considers the impact anti social noise can have and ways to manage cases. Noise is by far the highest reported case type of ASB. One in three cases of ASB are noise nuisance. Even when noise is not […]

One year ago the UK started taking steps out of the first COVID-19 national lockdown. Advice to stay at home saw massive reductions in road , rail and air traffic – and in traffic noise. John Bynorth, Policy and Communications Officer at EPS Scotland considers the impact of lockdown on neighbour noise. Last Spring, UK Government and the devolved administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland issued ‘stay-at-home’ messages. As well as lack of traffic, […]

With hospitality venues allowed to host larger groups of people as lockdown restrcictions ease – we’ve produced a quick guide for venues and reminder to customers to help avoid causing noise problems for nearby neighbours – who may be at home resting, working or isolating. Planning guidelines have been relaxed for now, allowing premise to use outside spaces for seating and maintain social distancing. This is keeping customers safe, reducing risk of transmission of covid […]

For over 20 years EPUK has co-ordinated an annual initiative to raise the profile of unhealthy noise and the impact it has on our physical and mental health. We took a quiet break at the height of the pandemic last year but are pleased to say we’re back! Noise Action Week is Back! 24th – 29th May After a quiet break during the pandemic Noise Action Week is back! The campaign coincides with lockdowns easing […]

Exposure to loud or annoying noise has long been associated with disturbance, stress and anxiety, so its fitting that the new World Health Organisation(WHO) Environmental Noise Guidelines for Europe are published today, World Mental Health Day. Noise is not just an annoyance, and these new guidelines document stronger evidence of the impacts noise exposure can have on our cardiovascular and metabolic health. WHO rank environmental noise as a serious threat to public health, second only […]

During Noise Action Week,  Fife Council lead environmental health officer Don Taylor, tells John Bynorth, Policy and Communications Officer at Environmental Protection Scotland, how the council promotes its noise service across a diverse community. The diverse nature of the communities of the Kingdom of Fife breeds a variety of noise problems.  Fife Council’s environmental health (public protection) Lead Officer, Don Taylor, and his team are inundated with complaints ranging from barking dogs to noisy nightclubs, bars, takeaway […]

Shhhh!!! Project DeStress, run by Dr Sarah Payne at Heriot-Watt University, is a research project exploring quiet urban outdoor places and their health-promoting properties. For creating healthy, sustainable societies, preserving quiet can be just as important as reducing noises Project DeStress aims to raise awareness to the public, practitioners, and stakeholders about the important value of quiet places in cities. Step one in this project is to identify where and what the public think quiet areas […]