The Dockers Inn in Wapping was taken to court by Tower Hamlets Council and subsequently fined after a local resident complained it was playing music too loudly, causing a nuisance.
According to the Tower Hamlets Council website, officers from the Environmental Protection Noise Team confirmed the music from the venue was too loud.
Despite several letters and visits from the noise team and an Environmental Protection Act 1990 legal notice being served on the pub operators, the loud music noise continued, the council claimed.
Zero tolerance
The operating company, Dockers Inn Ltd, was taken to court and subsequently convicted on 21 January 2025 in their absence for noise nuisance.
It was then sentenced on 18 February and Dockers Inn Ltd was fined £17,000 and told to pay a victim surcharge of £2,000 as well as costs of £1,299.
Councillor and cabinet member for community safety Abu Talha Chowdhury said: “We want Tower Hamlets to be a vibrant place to live, work and visit, but establishments that cause a nuisance to local residents will not be tolerated.”
Licensing specialists Poppleston Allen previously outlined some advice for operators on noise complaints, including reviewing premises licence conditions and hours, pre-warning nearby residents of potentially loud events and maintaining good relationships with locals.
Noise agreements
In some cases, a deed of easement can also offer protection for pubs, if appropriate and granted.
A deed of easement is a signed, legal document that grants the right to use another person’s land for a specifically stated purpose. The right to do something on your own land that would otherwise amount to a private nuisance can also be an easement.
In 2023, a ‘much-loved’ grassroots music pub in Shoreham, West Sussex, was granted long-term protection from noise complaints after its operators instructed lawyers and secured a deed of easement.
The Duke of Wellington pub on Brighton Road had feared noise complaints from a new housing development could lead to its closure, but the council and developers offered to enter into an ‘Easement of Noise’ agreement, which gave the pub protection from noise complaints.
- The Morning Advertiser (The MA) attempted to contact the Dockers Inn but had not received a response at the time of publication.
