Legal News

Reading Borough Council has confiscated equipment from a resident for breaching a noise abatement notice five times, following a successful prosecution for noise nuisance.

Katie Wynn, 23, of Silver Street in Katesgrove had TV sets and speakers seized and some items permanently removed due to persistent noise nuisance from her property.

The prosecution at Reading Magistrate’ Court followed months of evidence gathering by the council's environmental health officers.

The council says that Wynn had been given several warnings about ongoing noise nuisance caused by loud music and bass beats coming from her home since May 2013.

In July 2016, the council obtained a warrant to enter her property to seize equipment – on 17 July, the warrant was executed and equipment seized included three large-screen televisions, a subwoofer, two tall floor speakers, a hi-fi stereo system and three further speakers.

In court, four council officers who had witnessed the noise nuisance gave evidence and some recordings of the noise were played back.

Wynn had denied the charges, but was found guilty of five charges of neighbour noise nuisance, in breach of a noise abatement notice.

She was fined £50 for each offence and ordered to pay a £25 victim surcharge.

The council also applied for a Forfeiture Order for the items seized in July, as no nuisance had occurred since they were removed – and the court ordered that the subwoofer and two floor speakers should be disposed of.

Reading's Lead Member for Culture, Sport and Consumer Services, Councillor Paul Gittings, said:

“Well done to council officers for securing a successful prosecution with the help of long-suffering neighbours. I know it can be time consuming and take some effort to gather evidence in these cases, but I am glad we got a good result at the end of it. I hope this demonstrates that the council will take action against selfish individuals who are a persistent nuisance to their neighbours.”

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