The noisiest places in the UK revealed and NONE of them are in Yorkshire

If you’re hoping to catch up on some sleep over the winter period, you might want to re-think your location, as new research reveals the best and worst places to sleep in the UK.

A Freedom of Information request submitted by Anglian Home Improvements has revealed that – out of 253 local authorities which provided data – the worst locations to sleep are Kensington and Chelsea.

People who call the royal borough home, whether forever or just for a night, made 34,910 noise complaints between 1st January, 2015 and 31st August, 2017. The main offender was music, making up almost a third of the complaints (10,028), followed by building work (6,934) and, surprisingly, buskers (3,172). Other complaints centred around air conditioning, parties and even loud conversations and footsteps.

The worst places to sleep, based on number of noise complaints made, are:

1) Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea (34,910)

2) Belfast (17,480)

3) Haringey (16,858)

4) Tower Hamlets (15,051)

5) Edinburgh (14,395)

6) Birmingham (12,691)

7) Manchester (11,272)

8) Ealing (11,210)

9) Lambeth (11,151)

10) Coventry (10,706)

As a result of complaints, Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea Council issued 280 noise abatement notices, Belfast City Council issued 17 and London Borough of Haringey just 1.

If you really need those forty winks, you’re best off somewhere more isolated – like the Isles of Scilly or Comhairlenan Eilean Siar (Outer Hebrides). With respective populations of just 2,200 and 26,900, the island's’ authorities received just 40 complaints each in the 32 month research period, generally limited to street noise, animals, parties and loud music.

The best places to sleep, based on number of noise complaints made, are:

1) Isles of Scilly (40)

2) Comhairlenan Eilean Siar (Outer Hebrides) (40)

3) Oadby and Wigston (52)

4) Dumfries and Galloway (72)

5) North Devon (119)

6) Mid Devon (184)

7) Orkney Islands (258)

8) Isle of Anglesey (260)

9) Harborough (288)

10) Ceredigion (310)

Of the three locations with the fewest noise complaints, just one – the Council of the Isles of Scilly - issued an abatement notice.

The council issuing the highest number of abatement notices versus number of complaints is, in fact, one that appears on neither the list of noisiest or least noisy areas - Mid Sussex. Here, in towns such as East Grinstead, Haywards Heath and Burgess Hill, 7% of complaints go on to become abatement notices, where the person or business responsible for excessive noise is required to stop or limit their activity.

UK locations with the highest proportion of abatements to complaints:

1) Mid Sussex (7%)

2) Mid Devon (6%)

3) Dumfries and Galloway (6%)

4) Portsmouth (5%)

5) Ipswich (5%)

Matt Carey, Head of Digital Marketing at Anglian Home Improvements, said: “Sleep has a huge impact on the way we perform and interact with others. While we can make sure that our bedrooms are comfortable, dark and the right temperature, external noise is a slightly harder issue to overcome.

“Anyone struggling with noisy neighbours this winter – from festive parties to excitable pets – should look at straightforward soundproofing techniques in their home. Simply changing the layout of your room, so that your sofa or bed is as far away as possible from the noise source, can make a big difference. Thin soundproofing panels are easily fixed to partitioned or stud walls and relatively inexpensive, and will cut out the noise of neighbours’ conversations or television noise. Noises out on the street can be reduced by upgrading your windows, or – for a cheaper option – by choosing your fencing or outdoor plants carefully. You’d be surprised the difference these can have in ‘walling off’ noise from the street.”

Anglian Home Improvements is helping homeowners to rate their ‘home health’ and identify ways to improve it by launching a simple online quiz. Take it and find out how to improve your home environment by visiting:

https://www.anglianhome.co.uk/goodtobehome/home-news/home-health/