Wigan noisy neighbour fined thousands after refusing to turn his telly down

Wigan magistrates heard that John Walsh had been served with a noise abatement notice back in April 2018 after nearby residents complained of the din from his TV to Wigan Council.

But the householder, of Wigan Road, Leigh, continued to flout the terms of the document and he was eventually charged failing to comply with the notice on four occasions from September and October 2018.

The hearing was told that all efforts to avoid court proceedings had been exhausted before the prosecutions were brought as a last resort.

Walsh had appeared in court to plead not guilty to contraventions of the 1990 Environmental Protection Act, but then failed to turn up for the subsequent trial.

However the proceedings were held by the bench who found him guilty of all four charges in his absence.

He was fined £500 per offence and further ordered to pay a £50 victim surcharge and £300 in court costs. It came to a grand total of £2,350.

A local authority spokeswoman said that the successful prosecution by the council follows complaints of frequent loud noise from Walsh’s property, from his television, which was having an impact on the quality of life of nearby residents.

The council first served a noise abatement notice on him more than three years ago and, despite officers working with him since then, the notice continued to be breached.

The spokesperson added: We know the impact unreasonable levels of noise can have on the lives of others.

“We will always try to speak to people accused of making noise in a bid to resolve the problem informally.

“However in the few instances that this is unsuccessful, further formal action is necessary.

“In this case officers spent a significant amount of time trying to mitigate and resolve the situation and were left with no other option than to prosecute.”