A Pontardawe woman has been left with an eye-watering court bill after failing to heed noise warnings from her local council.
Adele Pugh, 36, of Lon yr Ysgol, Rhos, Pontardawe, admitted five charges of breaching a noise abatement notice when she appeared at Swansea Magistrates' Court on Tuesday, 20th October 2020.
Breaching an abatement notice is an offence under section 80(4) of the Environmental Protection Act 1990. It has a maximum penalty of a fine at level 5 (unlimited) on summary conviction.
Magistrates heard that Neath Port Talbot Council received complaints from neighbours about excessively loud music being played in Pugh's property.
The music was described by council officers as "bassy, dance and rap, generally with thudding beats", with some lyrics containing foul language.
The officers added on some occasions after responding to complaints, they could clearly hear the music in the street after getting out of their cars.
Satisfied that a statutory nuisance existed, and no doubt having exhausted informal methods of resolution, the Council issued an abatement notice requiring Pugh to crank down the volume and confine her listening to more civilised hours of the day.
In a flagrant act of defiance, Pugh breached the notice on five separate occasions in August 2020.
She was fined £200 for each offence and ordered to pay £1,000 towards prosecution costs and £34 victim surcharge.
The offences put her in breach of a suspended sentence order, for which she was fined an additional £80. The total amount payable to the court is therefore £2,114.
Magistrates' also ordered the forfeiture of the equipment used to play the music.
Neath Port Talbot Council's Cabinet Member for Community Safety and Public Protection, Cllr Leanne Jones, said: "As this case has shown our officers are still working hard on behalf of the public during the current health emergency and the level of financial penalties imposed here shows the courts take noise nuisance cases very seriously."
Knowing how the system works, I have absolutely no sympathy for Pugh at all.
I hope the hefty financial penalty makes her reflect on what an inconsiderate neighbour she has been and how she should have heeded those initial informal words of advice from the Council instead of behaving ignorantly towards them.
Every man, woman and child in this country has the right to feel safe, comfortable and secure in the sanctity of their own home. Antisocial behaviour like this, which impedes that right, can have a truly soul-destroying effect on people. It can be tantamount of torture, wearing them down both physically and mentally.
Fingers crossed that Pugh acts in a more considerate manner in future. If not, she knows the possible consequences.
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