Intruder alarms
Intruder alarms are designed to be loud in order to protect property. However, if they are poorly installed or not adequately maintained, they may trigger unnecessarily, which causes disturbance to people in the neighbourhood. If an alarm is sounding continuously or repeatedly, then action may be taken by Environmental Protection Team or our out-of-hours team.
If your home or business is fitted with an audible intruder alarm you should:
- ensure it has been installed and maintained correctly so as to minimise false alarms
- ensure it is fitted with a timed cut-out device that will silence the audible sounder after a certain amount of time. It is recommended that the alarm resets within 20 minutes
- check whether your alarm installer provides a call out service for when your alarm is sounding
- inform your local council of the names, addresses and contact details of all persons who can be called to deactivate the alarm. You can download a nominated key holder form here
If you are disturbed by a neighbour’s intruder alarm and it is safe to do so, try and find out:
- if there is any sign of forced entry to the premises. If so, contact Lancashire Police
- if a key holder is able to attend
- if the occupiers are away for a long or a short period of time
What we can do
When we receive a complaint about an intruder alarm, we will visit the complainant to assess if the noise is causing a statutory nuisance. We will also check our key holder records and where possible arrange for the alarm to be silenced.
If we do not hold any key holder details, are unable to contact them or we are unable to establish when the householder is returning, we will serve a noise abatement notice on the occupier requiring them to silence the alarm. We must allow reasonable time for the alarm to be deactivated. If the notice is not complied with, we will seek to obtain a warrant to have the alarm disconnected and enter the premises by force if necessary. All costs incurred in doing so would be recovered from the home owner.
Car alarms
If a car alarm sounds continuously, a notice can be served on the vehicle owner. This allows the Council to stop the noise by forcibly entering the vehicle to silence the alarm. The owner or keeper of the vehicle will be responsible for any cost incurred from this action.
If you are disturbed by a car alarm and if it is safe to do so, try and find out:
- which vehicle is causing the problem
- the vehicle registration number
- the owner of the vehicle
- if the owner of the vehicle is away for a long or short period of time