A couple in Leicestershire has been fined £4,000 each after their dogs “frenzy of barking” caused fury amongst neighbours during months of misery.
Monic Edwards and Andy Pedu Nelson, from Roundhill, Kirby Muxloe in Leicester, were warned by the council to take measures to stop their eight dogs from barking, but were hit with the charge after failing.
Audio recordings and witness statements about the dogs kennelled in the garden, were used by Magistrates, at Leicester Magistrate’s Court, to prosecute the bad neighbours.
The evidence from neighbours demonstrated that “the noise from the dog barking occurs very frequently, for long durations, at unsocial hours and this is having a significant impact on their quality of life at home”.
The dogs were barking at all hours of the day and night (stock pic)
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Environmental Officers from Bladby District Council had presented the pair with a noise abatement notice with compliance ordered by May 12, 2023 after repeated visits where each time loud barking was heard.
During an interview with council officers, Edwards and Pedu Nelson said they had “about eight dogs” but neither could name any of them, claiming barking had been provoked by low-flying drones and people walking deliberately close to their fence.
The pair were found guilty of breaching a noise abatement notice in their absence on Wednesday February 28, 2024.
Councillor Les Phillimore, Blaby District Council Portfolio Holder for Housing, Community and Environmental Services, said: “Many of us love dogs and have them as pets, however, ownership comes with a multitude of responsibilities. One of those is ensuring your dogs don’t disturb others.
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The barking was deemed to have detrimental effect on the quality of life of anyone living nearby (stock pic)
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“Of course dogs bark but continued, loud barking by a large number of dogs at all hours of the day and night is bound to have a detrimental effect on the quality of life of anyone living nearby.
"This kind of noise is a nuisance and if we are alerted to it, we will act.
"We have a number of tools people can use now to provide evidence of nuisance, including the noise reporting app, making it easier for us to intervene.”
Magistrates ordered Edwards and Pedu Nelson to pay a £2,000 fine, £1,197.30 in costs, and an £800 victim surcharge, totalling £3,997.30 each.