In May 2018, Mark Stuart and Julie Ann Thomson moved to Velindre.

Between June and August 2018, Carmarthenshire County Council received 16 complaints of excessive dog barking from residents of Velindre. Some of the barking occurred between midnight and 4am.

The Council’s Environmental Protection Team visited the couple’s property and found 16 dogs present. Both Mr Stuart and Ms Thomson were served with a noise abatement notice after failing to keep their dogs from barking excessively.

Mr Stuart and Ms Thomson were subsequently found to have breached the noise abatement notice and have recently been convicted by Llanelli Magistrates’ Court. They were each fined £500 and ordered to pay court costs of £1065.13 and a victim surcharge of £50 each.

The Council’s executive board member for public protection, Philip Hughes said: “The evidence clearly shows that there was a significant amount of disturbance caused by the barking throughout the day and night. The noise levels were consistent and totally unacceptable causing a lot of stress for the residents. This court case could have been avoided had Mr and Mrs Thomson taken appropriate action to keep their dogs’ barking under control as advised.”

If you or your business are served with a noise abatement notice, call our specialist environmental solicitor and Regulatory Partner, James Lowe, on 07833 240400 for advice and assistance.