Complaints about barking increasing
Noise complaints about barking dogs in the UK have increased by almost a half over the past three years, according to new data from We Buy Any Home.
The research found that between August 2019 and July 2020 there were 18,108 official complaints about barking dogs creating a noise nuisance. Over the 12 months up to July this year, there were 25,971, an increase of 43%.
The largest percentage rise was in London’s Richmond and Wandsworth borough, which saw a 349% leap over the three years – from 61 complaints to 274. The London borough was followed by Torbay in Devon (303%), Richmond upon Thames (300%), South Norfolk and Broadland (216%), and East Devon (206%).
The council with the highest number of individual complaints in 2021-22 was Birmingham, where officials recieved 1,537 negative reports, followed by Swansea (1,116), South Lanarkshire (986), the Belfast City region in Northern Ireland (752) and Rotherham in South Yorkshire (693).
Terry Fisher, from property buying website www.webuyanyhome.com, said: “It’s at the stage where many councils are even putting this type of canine-related disturbance in a category of their own in a bid to monitor the scale of the problem.”
He added: “What we’re seeing with these figures is the fact that many people got new pets, and in particular pooches, during Covid lockdowns for companionship and exercise.
“That was fine when the vast majority of people were working from home, but many have now returned to the office for at least part of the week and these pets are feeling neglected. They are obviously finding it hard to cope and are reacting in the only way they know how.”
A survey commissioned by www.webuyanyhome.com found that 40% of UK adults have been involved in a dispute with a neighbour over noise. Meanwhile, 16% said loud pets were a contributing factor in them wanting to sell their home.
