Neighbours from Hell: UK hotspots for next-door disputes revealed

Things are finally starting to get back to normal in the UK. But having endured several national lockdowns, how have UK residents coped with the extra time spent with their neighbours?

A new study by The Solar Centre reveals a huge rise in nuisance complaints in the last year, suggesting the extra time spent at home has caused neighbour disputes to boil over.

In 2020, there were 299,077 noise and statutory nuisance complaints filed across the country, a 28% increase on the yearly average*.

The North West saw the biggest of this increase, rising from 23,338 complaints in 2019 to 32,792 in 2020 – a 41% increase year over year.

This is according to data gathered through Freedom of Information requests, sent to almost 200 UK councils. Data analysts at The Solar Centre then crunched the numbers to reveal the extent of the complaints.

However, it was Leeds that recorded the highest number of complaints overall in the last five years, with a hefty 65,847 received by the council between 2016-21.

Loud music was the main culprit, which perhaps isn’t surprising considering Leeds’ reputation as a city of music. Earlier this summer, several residents had DJ equipment seized by police following persistent complaints, which is not an uncommon occurrence in Leeds.

Other hotspots included Hillingdon and Newham in London, with 62,130 and 51,308 complaints respectively. Outside of London, the second and third most complaints came from Birmingham and Glasgow.