People may be unaware they need to take action before going away
People could face fines and have the council break down their door if they make a holiday alarm mistake(Image: Getty)
Anyone with a burglar alarm has been given a chilling warning if they go away this summer. People may be unaware of the law which means that if they fail to take action first they could come back to find their front door has been battered down – and a fine in the post for £1,000.
Endless alarms going off is very annoying for neighbours – and the government decided to take action – but many homeowners may be unaware of the consequences or law. Lyons Davidson Solicitors said: “Alarms are designed to cause noise. Their purpose is to deter intruders and alert the area to possible break-ins.
“An astonishing 33 per cent of us assume home alarms in our neighbourhood are false. This is probably because of frequent disruption from recurring home alarms, sometimes persisting for several hours if they aren’t silenced – often while the homeowner is on holiday. These alarms become extremely annoying, interrupting sleep, affecting hearing and damaging neighbourly relations. There’s also the detrimental effect of unreasonably diverting police resources.”
In an attempt to find a resolution, the government introduced the Clean Neighbourhood and Environment Act 2005. This legislation attempts to tackle noise pollution caused by home alarms. The law states that in an area designated by the local authority as an alarm notification area, people who have intruder alarms must nominate a keyholder and give their details to the local authority within 28 days of the alarm being installed.
Local councils have legal powers to enter properties and silence alarms sounding for more than 20 minutes continuously or over an hour intermittently. They can charge you for contractor/locksmith costs and issue fines.
Section 72 says that the nominated keyholder must:
- Be someone who holds the keys to the part of the premises the alarm is in;
- Have sufficient information to silence the alarm;
- Normally reside in or be situated in the vicinity of the premises;
- Agree to be the nominated keyholder; and
- If the alarm is on residential premises, be someone who isn’t the occupier or a keyholding company; or
- If the premises are non-residential, be a responsible person or a keyholding company.
Failure to comply with this law is an offence punishable with a fixed penalty notice of up to £1,000. This applies to both residential and businesses premises. To check if your property is in a council alarm notification area where you must register keyholders, contact your local council directly or check their environmental health webpage.
Lyons Davidson added: “The Control of Pollution Act 1974 also aims to decrease noise pollution, restricting work to the hours of 8am to 6pm Monday to Friday, 8am to 1pm on Saturdays and at no times on Sundays or Bank Holidays. In April 2019, as a result of breaking this law, West-Tech Construction Company were found guilty in Bristol magistrates court following early morning construction works on Alfred Hill, Bristol. West-Tech was prosecuted and fined £27,168.28 for 12 noise breaches and obstructing the highway.”
