Falkirk claimed '˜worst for noise' outside London

That’s the remarkable claim of a new study, which says data supplied by local councils shows that when population weighting is taken into account Falkirk is second on the noise nuisance list.

It’s said to have the highest number of complaints in Scotland, England and Wales – with a shocking 18.08 complaints reported per 1,000 people in 2016.

Of course another way of reading the figures might be that Falkirk (plus Grangemouth and Denny) people simply complain more.

In Falkirk Council area 41 per cent of complaints were in Falkirk itself while 14 per cent were in Grangemouth and 6 per cent in Denny.

In 2016, a total of 2,866 complaints were reported, with 3,071 in 2015 and 3.227 in 2014.

The study also says council figures show that 52 notices were served by the local authority in the last three years.

In the Falkirk area noise stakes the most common complaint was amplified music (22 per cent), followed closely by barking dogs (21 per cent) then “banging on floors” (14 per cent).

There were also four complaints about what the report waspishly refers to as “bedroom antics”.

Some of the more peculiar complaints received from down south include Morris dancers in Surrey, a Chinese man flying a radio controlled helicopter in South Wales, and a group of men playing football inside a flat in Brent.

Linda Firth from LoveMyVouchers.co.uk, which compiled the report, said: “Everybody likes a good party now and again, but if your neighbour is blasting out loud music every night, your local council are there to help resolve

the situation.

“Nuisance noise can cause lack of sleep and significant distress, so it is best to take action before it impacts your health”.

The most peaceful places to live the country were Dumfries and Galloway (unless, presumably, you are disturbed by cattle lowing and sheep baa-ing) where there were only 0.08 complaints per 1,000 people in 2016, followed by the Derbyshire Dales (0.10 per 1000), and the Western Isles (0.44 per 1000) – where of course in many cases there won’t be anybody living near you to cause a noise in the first place.