Laurel fined for repeated breaches of noise abatement order

Related tags Laurel pub company Environmental health officer Sound

Laurel Pub Company has been fined £9,000 for repeated breaches of a noise abatement order.The company was penalised despite co-operating with the...

Laurel Pub Company has been fined £9,000 for repeated breaches of a noise abatement order.

The company was penalised despite co-operating with the local Environmental Health department to address noise problems at the Cuckoo Pint in Stubbington, Hampshire.

Fareham magistrates imposed the fine after Laurel admitted nine breaches of the order. However, the amount of the fine took into account the fact that Laurel had not been told about further noise complaints made to the Environmental Health Officer (EHO) after the pub operator had spent £10,000 trying to resolve the problem.

The pub was refurbished last September and reopened under Laurel's Shotz brand, which is aimed at younger drinkers. Residents in the area had complained about noise from music at the pub, which they said drowned out TV and prevented them sleeping.

Laurel spokeswoman Maureen Heffernan said: "We aim to be good neighbour at all our pubs, and in this case we had been working closely with the local EHO to try and resolve the noise problem."

The case came as a report warned that young people working in music pubs and bars need to be informed that they are at risk of damaging their hearing.

Research from the University of Birmingham showed that nearly 30 per cent of students working part-time in music bars suffered hearing loss. It also revealed that employees were exposed to noise levels above the maximum 90 decibels legal limit.

Related articles:

Employees at risk of hearing loss while working in music bars (19 July 2002)

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