Noisy pubs face £500 on-the-spot fines

Pubs that cause late-night noise will face the threat of a £500 on-the-spot fine under government plans.

And the penalty for licensees could rise to £5,000 if convicted by the courts.

Under the proposals, which are part of the Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act, councils will be given extra powers to deal with one-off incidents of noise.

The changes, which come into effect in October, have been prompted by residents' fears over later pub opening under the new licensing laws.

Ben Bradshaw, local environment minister, said: "In the past, excessive noise from pubs and clubs had to be ongoing for any offence to take place," he said. "That doesn't help those who have had their sleep disturbed into the early hours - especially given the longer opening hours we have now.

"With the new powers, local authorities can deal with one-off incidents of excessive noise from licensed premises in the same way they can from households: quickly and effectively."

Licensed premises could be fined for a one-off offence if they are creating excess noise between 11pm and 7am.

But licensees have reacted angrily to the new rules. James Harris licensee at famous music venue, the Half Moon, in Putney, South London, said: "It's another piece of legislation we could do without. The government is putting more power into the hands of over-zealous local councils and it means that not everybody will be treated the same.

"What will be classed as noise? Will it be on the premises or outside the premises?"

At the Unicorn in Leek, Staffordshire, licensee Stephen Chamberlain said the new legislation seemed "unfair". "There are three pubs in our area and we all have live music at the weekends, so it will be difficult to tell if there is excess noise where it's coming from. You can't tar everyone with the same brush."

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs is carrying out a consultation on the changes.

Visit www.defra.gov.uk/corporate/consult/noiseact-guidance