Noise AlarmsCar alarms and street noise
There are some types of noise in the street that are restricted by law. This includes:
Vehicles - noise emitted from a vehicle, caused by it or by repairs, car radios, car alarms and parked refrigerated vehicles.
Loudspeakers - it's illegal to use loudspeakers in the streets between 9pm and 8am. Only the police, ambulance and fire brigade are exempt from this rule. The Council can licence use outside these hours for entertainment purposes, but not for advertising or electioneering. Vehicles selling perishable foods (e.g. ice-cream vans) may use loudspeakers between 12.00 noon and 7pm and these times can be varied with the Councils consent.
Excluded noises - Traffic noise, noise made by military forces, or from campaigning demonstrations are excluded.
Vehicle Alarms – Action:
The Noise Team get many calls about noisy car alarms. This is what we can do:
- An Alarm that has been sounding for more than five minutes and is affecting local residents is considered by law to be a nuisance.
- Once a nuisance has been established, the Council can serve a Noise Abatement Notice on the owner of the vehicle.
- If the owner cannot be located, we place a Notice directly on the vehicle. This Notice requires the owner to deactivate the alarm within 45 minutes.
- We do everything possible to find the owners of noisy vehicles. If the owner has been found, a reasonable length of time is given for the alarm to be turned off, and we will extend the one hour time limit if necessary.
- If a car alarm has been sounding for more than one hour and we are unable to find the owner, we will arrange for the vehicle to be opened so the alarm can be switched off. We take every care not to cause damage and use specialist companies contracted to us. If it's not possible to unlock a door, we may have to break a window.
- After entering a vehicle we make sure that it's left secure or immobilised.
- A notice is placed inside the vehicle (not in plain site to passers-by) to inform the owner of our actions.
- We reclaim our costs from the owners of vehicles and may prosecute them. A successful prosecution may result in a fine.
Legal Position - vehicle alarms
 The Noise and Statutory Nuisances Act 1993 makes noise in the street a Statutory Nuisance. Click the link to find out more about this Act of Parliament.
How to contact us...
Tel: 020 7525 5777 (24 hours)
Fax: 020 7525 3077
Email: noise@southwark.gov.uk
Address: Noise Team,
Environment & Leisure
Chaplin Centre,
Thurlow St,
London SE17 2DG
Office hours:
8.30am - 5.00pm
Monday to Friday
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