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New data reveals the councils with the highest volume of noise complaints
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Affluent London Borough takes the top spot with huge volumes of noise complaints
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Wolverhampton named noisiest outside of London
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Karen Maddox, Solicitor and Senior Law Lecturer at The University of Law, explains the right way to handle noisy neighbours
The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea has been named the noisiest in the UK with 4,511 noise complaints in the past year.
New findings from The University of Law, sourced through extensive FOI requests with councils across the UK, reveal the areas where residents are most likely to file a noise complaint with their council.
Despite its affluence, residents in The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea logged 28.7 complaints per 1,000 people in the year to June 2025, equalling 12 noise complaints per day.
London Boroughs make up most of the top five noisiest areas, while locations in the Midlands also feature prominently in the top ten:
Top ten councils with the highest number of complaints per 1,000 people:
- Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea - 28.7
- London Borough of Islington - 24.7
- London Borough of Redbridge - 19.1
- Wolverhampton City Council - 10.7
- Leicester City Council - 9.6
- Coventry City Council - 9
- Blackpool Council - 8.5
- Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council - 7.6
- London Borough of Wandsworth - 7.1
- Newcastle upon Tyne City Council - 6.5
Wolverhampton was found to be the location with the highest volume of complaints per 1,000 people outside of the Capital. Although, the city pales in insignificance compared to the top spot which has more than twice the volume of complaints.
When it comes to the total number of complaints per day, Redbridge Council faces the highest volume with an average of 16.2, closely followed by Birmingham at 15.2. Residents in Kensington and Chelsea logged an average of 12.3 complaints every day with their council.
For those looking for a quiet life, ULaw’s research says head to Buckinghamshire. According to the data, the south east county recorded just eight noise complaints in the past year, making it the least likely place to have noise complaints by a long way.
Following the findings Karen Maddox, Solicitor and Senior Law Lecturer at ULaw offers her advice on dealing with noisy neighbours: “Your home is supposed to be your safe space, so when that gets disrupted by your neighbours it can quickly become very stressful.
“The priority should be de-escalation. Although the situation may be stressful, it’s important not to act out of this stress and potentially make the situation worse or even cause conflict. If you feel it’s safe and appropriate to do so, step one should always be having a conversation with your neighbour to explain the effects their noise is having and seeing if you can reach an amicable solution. If this doesn’t work, there are further steps you can take to resolve the matter.”
Karen explains:
- Communication
You should always try and communicate with your neighbour directly at first. If you don’t feel comfortable having a face-to-face conversation, then you could also drop a polite note through their door explaining your point of view and asking for a resolution.
- Evidence
If the issue continues after you have spoken with your neighbour, consider documenting evidence of each incident so you can begin to build a case. This could be a diary that records the type of nuisance, date and time, or perhaps recordings. Be careful not to breach your neighbour’s privacy i.e. filming through a window into their home.
- Seek help
Depending on where you live and whether you are in a rented or a private property, there are a range of services available to you. Mediation services will offer a way to reach an amicable solution between the two of you, which can be arranged privately or through your landlord if you’re in rented accommodation.
Your council may also be able to offer you support, especially if the issue is affecting your health and wellbeing or is a public health issue.
- Contact the authorities
In some cases, for example if behaviour is dangerous or threatening, contacting the police will be the most appropriate course of action. Never put yourself in harm’s way and contact 999 in an emergency or 101 for non-emergencies.
- Information is for the purpose of this content only and should not be taken as official legal advice.
- Data sourced via FOI requests sent to all UK councils and gathered between July-September 2025.
- Data was divided into Metropolitan District Councils, Unitary Authorities and London Boroughs, based on the councils that responded to the FOI request (64 councils in total).
- Population statistics sourced from 2021 Census and used to create per 1,000 figures
- Open Government License: https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/.