Summer Noise
Tuesday 20 November 2007 10:00pm - 10:30pm on ITV1.

42% of the British population are upset about it, half a million moved house last year because of it and six people a year are even killed over arguments about it.

It’s noise in our neighbourhoods and ITV have acquired access to several dedicated council environmental units to show exactly how the "Noise Police" are fighting back.

During the six week-long Edinburgh Festival it’s not just the population of Edinburgh that increases dramatically, the workload of Edinburgh’s ‘Noise Police’ follows suit.

In Programme Three, Edinburgh’s Noise Officers visit the home of a woman so besieged by noise from festival venues that she has been reduced to doing her sewing in the only quiet room in the house – her bathroom.

In London, Noise Officer, Keith Mahaffy has his own festival to deal with.The Notting Hill Carnival can attract up to 500,000 revelers and one thing it isn’t is quiet! Exposure to some volumes of noise for over even a few minutes can be harmful to a person’s hearing and Keith is out and about with his decibel meter attempting to ensure that safe noise levels are not breached.

The festival isn’t the only thing causing a noise problem in Edinburgh. Officers are called to a house party that’s been running for four days straight, but party goers aren’t ready to head home yet, and back-up is called when they refuse to open the door and a bottle is thrown from the building.