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10 Mar 2010 (archived)

Witney man convicted for dog noise nusiance

A man has been prosecuted by West Oxfordshire District Council for failing to stop noise nuisance being caused by dogs at his home in Witney.

Roger Sutton, 62, of Colwell Drive, was found guilty at Witney Magistrates' Court on Friday, March 5^th, of failing to comply with a requirement of an abatement notice relating to dog noise and barking. Magistrates ordered him to pay a £2,000 fine and £500 legal costs.

The abatement notice was issued by the Council under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 in March last year following investigations by Environmental Health officers into complaints from neighbouring residents about noise problems relating to dog barking.

It was discovered that Sutton was keeping Dorset Old Tyme bulldogs both inside his home and in seven cages in his rear garden. The notice required him to take measures to prevent the dogs causing a noise nuisance. However, the Council continued to receive complaints from neighbouring properties throughout last summer and legal proceedings were launched in September for breach of the notice.

Cllr Jill Dunsmore, Cabinet Member for Communities at West Oxfordshire District Council, said: "The Council worked hard to try to resolve this problem and we were left with no option but to take legal action in order to try to protect the residents whose lives have been so badly affected by these noise problems.

"We are encouraged by the outcome of the court hearing and will continue to monitor the situation. Everyone has the right to enjoy peace and quiet in their homes and, while this is an extreme case, we take noise complaints very seriously."

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