Intruder and Vehicle Alarms

Intruder and Vehicle Alarms

Intruder and vehicle alarms causing a statutory nuisance can be silenced by action by an Environmental Health Officer.

Once the Police are satisfied that there is no criminal activity taking place at the premises and the Local Authority are satisfied that the noise of the alarm is causing a statutory nuisance or annoyance the Council will take actions to silence the alarm. This may involve serving a statutory notice and obtaining a warrant to gain entry to the property or removal of the vehicle to a suitable place to allow the alarm to be silenced.

The costs will then be charged to the owner or occupier of the premises, or the registered owner of the car.

To avoid either situation, property and vehicle owners are recommended to have their alarms fitted by a competent installer, ensure it has an automatic cut-out which will silence it not more than 20 minutes after it has been activated, check the alarm regularly to make sure it is still operating correctly and have faults rectified immediately.

Voluntary Registration Service

East Herts Council offers a voluntary registration service for intruder alarms. Registering your alarm with the Council will provide contact details for keyholders so that someone can be contacted if your alarm is reported to be causing a nuisance or annoyance. If your alarm is not silenced formal action may be taken to silence it under the Environmental Protection Act 1990. If you wish to register keyholder details with the Council please complete the Intruder Alarm Keyholder Registration Form.

Keyholders one and two should be people that can be contacted if there is a problem to reset the alarm when the person responsible cannot be contacted. All keyholders should be aware of their responsibilities and should normally be able to attend the premises within 20 minutes of being notified of a problem.

You may be asked to renew the details provided every three years. If, in the meantime, the details that you have provided change, please complete a new form with the correct details.

How to report a noise issue

You can report noise nuisance from an intruder or car alarm using the Report Environmental Pollution online form. If you are reporting this outside of office hours, please note we will deal with the request between 9-5 Monday to Friday.