Taking action on noise

Noise Action Week takes place from May 23 - 27 with a number of special events to promote health and tackle excessive noise

Bill Howard used to suffer from tinnitus, a health condition characterised by ringing or swishing noises that appear to originate in the ear or head.
After an accident at work when Bill (pictured) was in his late teens, he started hearing vague ringing sounds, but then his condition worsened.
"Years later the sounds became more intense and I realised that my tinnitus was not curable by any medical treatment," says Bill (86), a retired chartered engineer.
"Learning to live with tinnitus was difficult as it affected my sleep and made it difficult for me to take part in social activities as I became super sensitive to sounds - it's the same as trying to get rid of a catchy tune that repeats over and over again in your head.
"There's no medical cure for tinnitus but over time relaxation techniques and gentle sounds like listening to recordings of the sea can help people to cope and live with the sounds. However the best thing is to stop your exposure to noises that cause damage to hearing and health."
To help deal with his tinnitus, Bill and friends (with the help of Hull CVS) set up a charity called Hush (Hull Tinnitus Self Help). The charity has been running for 30 years and now receives 200 - 300 enquiries each year from people suffering from tinnitus and Bill gives them advice on how to cope.

Noise Action Week

Meanwhile, Citysafe's Environmental Regulation section receives approximately 2,000 calls each year relating to noise.
The majority of these requests are a result of neighbour disputes and involve the playing of loud music or barking dogs, however some can be very unusual for example noise from cockerels crowing in the early hours of the morning.
Noise Action Week is an annual event which provides Hull City Council and other local authorities up and down the country with an opportunity to highlight the work that is undertaken to deal with noise issues such as these.
It is also a good way to remind people that noise can cause considerable annoyance and that everyone should ensure that they are considerate to their neighbours.
This year, to mark Noise Action Week, Citysafe is organising several events around two main themes - tinnitus awareness and dealing with excessive noise from pubs and clubs. The events are as follows:

• Monday 23 May – tinnitus awareness stall for Hull City Council staff at the Stockholm Road depot in order to advise employees on the importance of wearing ear protection when working in noisy environments
• Tuesday 24 May – tinnitus awareness stall and Citysafe trailer at Hull College to provide information to students about the dangers of playing loud music through MP3 players and how this could lead to hearing problems such as tinnitus, as well as providing general advice on noise issues and antisocial behaviour
• Wednesday 25 and Thursday 26 May – the tinnitus awareness stall and Citysafe trailer will be at Hull University to provide information to that stated above
• Friday 27 May – programmed visits to licensed premises such as pubs and bars within the city centre in order to provide licensees with signs and beer mats for outside seating areas to remind their customers to keep noise down in these areas

Outdoor seating areas

Citysafe's environmental regulation department receives a number of requests for assistance each year from Hull residents who are experiencing noise problems from pubs with outside seating areas.
It is the pub landlord's responsibility to ensure that noise from their premises does not cause disturbance to surrounding residents.
Some landlords do achieve this, however there are some that require extra guidance and persuasion to put measures in place to prevent noise disturbance.
"The work of the environmental regulation department, as well as Hull City Council's licensing section, ensures that enforcement action can be taken if required to ensure that the pub does not cause a problem," says Trevor Todd, the council's assistant head of service for public protection.
"Recent cases have been resolved by restricting the hours of use of the outside seating areas, and relocating the outside seating area to an area where neighbouring residents are not disturbed."

Info Hull Citysafe is a community safety partnership which brings together agencies including the police, fire service, NHS and ambulance service to make Hull a safer city. For more information on Noise Action Week contact 300 300 or visit www.noiseactionweek.org.uk For more information on Bill Howard's charity, phone the HUSH helpline on 656 033 or email hush@bbhoward.karoo.co.uk and for more information on tinnitus visit www.tinnitusexplained.org.uk