A man whose barking dog disturbed his neighbours for more than 18 months has been fined £450.

Shahid Hussain, 36, ignored warnings from Rochdale council to keep the noise down.

He was prosecuted after a catalogue of complaints about the dog, which barked day and night while it was chained up in the yard of Hussain's house.

Absence

Hussain didn't turn up to court and the case was heard in his absence.

He had been warned on several occasions by environmental health officers after complaints dating back to August 2007.

Hussain was served with a noise abatement notice ordering him to keep the animal quiet.

[blockquote name=Councillor Ted Flynn]

"Noise nuisance is something that gets people really frustrated, so it's important we take it seriously."
[/blockquote]

But in April officers witnessed a breach of the notice and he was summonsed to court.

Excuse

Hussain was unable to provide any reasonable excuse as to why the animal was causing the disturbance and could provide no evidence that he had taken practical steps to minimise the annoyance.

He was found guilty by magistrates on one count of breaching the noise abatement notice and was fined £450 plus he was ordered to pay £150 in costs.

Councillor Ted Flynn, cabinet member for community safety on Rochdale Council, said: “Noise nuisance is something that gets people really frustrated, so it's important we take it seriously.

Action

“We'll tackle those people continually causing such anti-social behaviour in our neighbourhoods - and that means taking court action where appropriate if the noise doesn't stop.”

Andy Glover, public protection manager at Rochdale Council, added: “The noise from barking dogs is one of the most commonly complained about causes of nuisances.

“Most pet owners do not realise the law requires them to take responsibility for noise caused by pets and where it's causing a disturbance they have an obligation to minimise it.”