Noise and other disturbances from commercial premises

Report a problem with commercial noise pollution

We do not provide an out-of-hours response service.

We will respond to your complaint within 48 working hours (9am–5pm, Monday to Friday).

We will tell you on what action, if any, we can take. Please give as much information as possible in your complaint.

Noise from construction work

Common examples include:

• early-morning deliveries

• poorly maintained site equipment

• forklift truck movements

• construction or demolition noise.

Reasonable working hours for ongoing construction are:

• Monday–Friday, 8am–6pm

• Saturday, 8am–1pm. 

Smoke

Can come from:

• garden bonfires

• commercial activities

• construction or demolition sites

• chimneys (both commercial and residential).

Dust

Can arise from construction or demolition activities or certain commercial operations, such as waste handling.

Noise from licensed premises

We issue licences for premises to limit any noise disturbance. If the premises holds a public entertainment licence, we may not need to prove a statutory nuisance. We can take action against a premises that operates outside its licensing agreement.

See the list of approved alcohol and entertainment licence holders

Aircraft and traffic

• We have no direct responsibility for noise from aircraft. 

• We record noises from traffic and public transport. But we do not have powers to deal with the problems they cause.

Useful contacts

• Road noise – Transport for London www.tfl.gov.uk 0343 222 1234

• Train noise – National Rail www.nationalrail.co.uk

• Aircraft noise – Heathrow 0800 344 844 noise_complaints@heathrow.com, Gatwick 0800 393 070 noise.line@gatwickairport.com    

• Poorly maintained rented properties – Private Sector Housing – 020 8314 6420