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A Woking man has pleaded guilty to four noise offences at Guildford Magistrates’ Court, resulting in a hefty fine and the forfeiture of his audio equipment.
Woking Borough Council Environmental Health officers originally became aware of Mr Hiriart’s (of Church Road, West Byfleet), persistent noise-related anti-social behaviour following numerous complaints from his neighbours whose day-to-day lives had been blighted by the continuous playing of amplified music, sometimes as late as 2am.
Despite numerous warnings, Mr Hiriart was issued with a Noise Abatement Notice by the council in 2021, which prohibited the playing of amplified music at excessive levels. However, failing to comply with the terms, the notice was breached on several occasions, forcing further action to be taken.
As the noise nuisance continued, the Environmental Health team successfully obtained a right of entry warrant from the Magistrates Court enabling them to seize three speakers and one subwoofer which was being used to commit the offences.
The Magistrates’ Court ordered the forfeiture of the seized equipment having considered it highly likely that by returning them would result in further breaches of the notice.
Cllr Liam Lyons, Woking Borough Council’s Portfolio Holder for Planning and Regulation, said: “This is a result for common sense. The individual has caused a relentless amount of grief and disruption to the livelihoods of his neighbours and the surrounding community. Anti-social behaviour is selfish and will not be tolerated.
“We take reports of noise nuisance and anti-social behaviour seriously. We always set out to find an amicable solution through mediation. However, this is not always possible, leaving us no alternative but to take further action.”
The Magistrates fined Mr Hiriart £500 for each offence, £200 victim surcharges and £956 to cover council legal costs totalling £3,156.