Ceredigion County Council website

Anti-social behaviour includes abusive or noisy neighbours, littering and graffiti. It can leave you feeling intimidated, angry and frightened.

The Local Authority and the Police, along with other organisations, work together in a Community Safety Partnership to tackle antisocial behaviour problems.

Noise complaints

Everyone has the right to quiet enjoyment in their home. If you feel this has been disturbed due to excessive noise, for example persistent barking dogs, late night noise from excessive parties, pubs or clubs or machinery then the Local Authority can investigate the cause of the problem and this may lead to action taken against the perpetrator. To report a complaint please contact the Public Protection service via publicprotection@ceredigion.gov.uk or on 01545 572105.

The assessment of noise nuisance is based on

• whether it is 'reasonable', bearing in mind the locality
• how often noise occurs
• how many people are affected

Each case is judged on its merits and is based on the sensitivity of the average person. The first thing the Local Authority will do is ask you to complete a 'diary sheet' to establish the type of noise, occurrences and time of the incidents. This will enable the investigating officer to determine if a noise nuisance has taken place and the frequency and severity of the noise.

We would also encourage you to use the Noise App, which you can download onto your phone to record noise activity. You can submit your complaint via the Noise App.

If warranted sound recording over a 6 day period will take place prior to any enforcement action taking place. The perpetrator will be notified of the investigation prior to any noise recording taking place. In extreme circumstances the Local Authority may issue an abatement notice which may limit the times or the loudness of the noise and can impose fines of up to £20,000.

If the noise is as a result of a licenced premises or event then you should contact the Local Authority Licencing Section on 01545 572179 or email publicprotection@ceredigion.gov.uk.

High hedges

Disputes over particularly high boundary hedges can often be controversial and the Local Authority can only get involved in certain circumstances and after you have tried other ways to solve the problem. Talk to your neighbour, use a mediation service and keep records of all actions. Any service offered by the Local Authority will be chargeable, that is, you will have to pay.

Complaints about behaviour in Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMO)

If the Local Authority receives a complaint about antisocial behaviour from a HMO then we will tackle this through the landlord and management of the property. A person in charge of a HMO has a duty to properly manage it and this includes managing the behaviour of the tenants.

Eviction

Anti social behaviour can be grounds for eviction from a property, even if the tenancy has only just begun. Landlords wishing to remove antisocial tenants from their property should seek legal advice on the correct way to go about this.

Landlords behaving antisocially

If you are experiencing threatening behaviour from your landlord then look at our Protection from Harassment/Illegal Eviction page for more information.

What you can do

• Be aware of how your behaviour and that of your visitors can be viewed by others
• Take care about your own noise levels, such as from barking dogs or music
• If you are experiencing antisocial behaviour, keep a diary of when and what is happening
• Phone the Police if the behaviour is aggressive or threatening

Anti-social behaviour case review– What is it?

In 2014, the Home Office published reformed guidance to support the effective use of new powers to tackle anti-social behaviour (ASB), which included a new measure called ‘Anti-Social Behaviour Case Review’, formally known as the ’Community Trigger’.  The anti-social behaviour case review allows victims of persistent ASB to request a review of their case and hold agencies to account for the way in which ASB is tackled. In order to meet the threshold and to activate a case review the applicant must have:

• Reported three separate incidents relating to the same problem in the past six months to the Council, Police or landlord where no effective action has been taken; or
• Reported one incident or crime motivated by hate* (due to race, religion, disability, sexual orientation or transgender identity to the police in the last six months where no effective action has been taken; or
• A person of appropriate seniority within a responsible authority reviews the evidence presented from all parties and believes there is sufficient evidence to initiate a case review regardless of the role of the applicant of the Anti-social behaviour case review. 

*Hate crime is defined as any criminal offence committed against a person or property that is motivated by hostility towards someone based on their actual or perceived disability, race, religion, gender identity or sexual orientation, which is a factor in determining who is victimised. A victim does not have to be a member of a group and in fact, anyone could be a victim of hate crime.

Each report must be made within 30 days of the incident occurring and the application for the case review must be made within 6 months of the first report. A report made to several agencies at or around the same time regarding the same incident, will be classed as one report. It is not intended to review historical cases, or those only recently reported whereby agencies have not had a reasonable opportunity to respond.

How can I request an anti-social behaviour case review?

Across the Dyfed-Powys region, Dyfed-Powys Police are the single point of contact for the anti-social behaviour case review. An application can be made online, over email, by calling 101 or by requesting an application form in writing – For further details, visit the Dyfed-Powys Police website. It is not only the victim themselves who can request a case review, although their consent must be sought by the person requesting a review on their behalf prior to application. Once consent has been obtained, the case review can be used by any person such as a family member, friend, carer, councillor, Welsh Assembly Member, Member of Parliament or any other professional person on behalf a victim.

The anti-social behaviour case review can be used by a person of any age.

What happens next?

When a case review is requested, the applicant will receive an acknowledgement letter within 5 working days. Agencies will consider the application and get back in touch with the victim within 15 workings days to inform them if they have met the threshold. If it is agreed that the threshold has been met, partner agencies will undertake a case review during which information relating to the case including any previous action taken will be considered, and a decision made as to whether additional actions are possible. The applicant will be notified of the outcome of the panel review. An appeal can be made to the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner (OPCC) where one of the following measures is satisfied;

• The decision provided outlining why the case did not meet the threshold for an anti-social behaviour case review has failed to provide sufficient detail to understand why a review did not take place
• The anti-social behaviour case review has failed to consider a relevant process, policy or protocol
• The anti-social behaviour case review has failed to consider relevant factual information

Appeals must be made to the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner (OPCC) within 28 days. The 28 days will start from the date of either;

• The letter informing the applicant their application has not met the threshold for a case review
• The letter informing them of the outcome of a case review