North East

While you might be just about to rest your weary head on your pillow, Newcastle's Night Noise Team are just waking up and going to work.

Seven days a week the team of environmental health officers respond to complaints about noise, and over the last year they've been busy, dealing with over 7,000 calls.

That's a huge rise - just over 10 years ago they had only 250 complaints.

Sleep deprivation

Tracy McCann works for the team and sees at first hand how disruptive and annoying noise can be

"People regularly report lack of sleep - they can't go to work in the morning.

Sleep tight - everyone values a good night's sleep

"Sometimes kids cannot go to school because they can't concentrate and they're so tired because of the noise in the night. It affects people in many different ways."

The biggest problem for the noise team is "low frequency noise".

It can travel through walls and is the disruptive bassy noise you hear when music is played in a next door room for example.

This type of noise can drive people to distraction and is difficult to measure.

Click on some of the links to see how you fare with our examples from the University of Salford's Department of Acoustics.

Turning down the noise

Most people are happy to turn their voices or hi-fis down when the environmental health team visit.

They also visit bars too - anywhere that is making a loud noise.

But for those who don't pay attention to an initial friendly warning to keep it down, there are legal powers the team can use.

Tom, Joel and Michael, students from the Heaton area of Newcastle know all about them - now.

They had their laptops, stereo and television seized after ignoring warnings to keep the noise down.

Tom was taken aback when the council van turned up to take away all that hardware.

"I thought we would probably have to go to court before they took the stuff.

"I didn't expect them to just turn up and take the stuff - a bit of a shocker really."

Noisy neighbours

Viccy who lives downstairs on the other hand was delighted to be rid of a constant thumping bass that she could hear through her ceiling.

She complained to the team after being constantly sleep deprived while the party went on upstairs. It affected her mood and work.

"I'm delighted, it was a pity it had to be taken that far.

Pumping up the volume has consequences.

"The main problem was continual bad music, happy hardcore step aerobics essentially which was strong enough for the light to be shaking with the vibrations."

The lads have now got their equipment back, but received a written caution - they've got to be quiet now for three years or they could be prosecuted.

They've even written to Viccy apologising for their behaviour.

She for one is now looking forward to a good nights sleep.

So next time you feel like singing along to Abba's Dancing Queen after a few at the local, just remember that Newcastle City Council issue more warnings about noise than any other authority in the country.

You've been warned!