Boyack makes some noise after nuisance neighbour service cut

CUTS in the service provided by Edinburgh’s noise teams will leave residents at the mercy of nuisance neighbours, it has been warned.

Council budget cuts mean the night service now operates only between Thursday and Sunday from 5.15pm to 4am.

Now Lothians Labour MSP Sarah Boyack, who secured legislation earlier this year to crack down on so-called “party flats”, said: “Unfortunately, nuisance noise isn’t neatly contained to just a few hours over the weekend.

“Noisy neighbours can cause real misery and I have heard some real horror stories.

“We need more action to crack down on antisocial behaviour and these cuts to the dedicated noise teams are a real backward step.

“I’m particularly concerned that residents are still suffering from noise from party flats, despite the introduction of new legislation to deal with them earlier this year.”

Last month, the Evening News revealed complaints about noise and antisocial behaviour had soared by 26 per cent compared with a year earlier.

In a 12-month period, there were a total of an average of 12,019 complaints – an average of 33 every day.

The council said the rise showed residents were now more aware of how to get in contact with the noise team.