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Noise complaint at night in London: police, 101 or the council?

Published 3 October 2026 · Updated 13 October 2026

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The short answer

Contact your local council first, usually its environmental health or noise team. The Metropolitan Police says noise from a loud party or barking dogs is not a police matter. Call 999 if anyone is in danger or being threatened with violence now, and the police (101 or online) if you have been threatened, abused or targeted and it is not an emergency. Below: what each of the 33 London councils offers at night.

Contact your local council first, normally its environmental health or environmental protection team. The council is the main body to contact about neighbour noise, loud music, noisy pubs and rowdy parties.

Can I call the police about a noise complaint? 101 or 999?

Usually not for the noise itself. The Metropolitan Police says, on its page about disputes with neighbours: “If the problem involves noise, such as a loud party or dogs barking, please contact your local council as this isn’t a police matter.”

The police are the right call in two situations:

  • Someone is in danger, or a crime is happening now: ring 999.
  • It has turned into threats or harassment, and it is not happening right now: ring 101 or report online. If someone is using or threatening violence now, ring 999. The Met: “If the problems have escalated or you’ve been threatened, verbally abused, or personally targeted please report the crime to us.”

Noise from people being inconsiderate in the street or another public space can be reported to the police as antisocial behaviour. Car meets are a police matter too: Enfield Council, for example, asks people to report them “to the Police at the time of the event on 101”.

There is no general quiet-hours law that makes noise legal before 11pm and illegal after. GOV.UK: “Councils can investigate complaints of statutory nuisance to tackle noise produced at any time of day or night.” Music that is fine at 4pm can be a nuisance at 2am, because the test is whether it unreasonably interferes with your home.

The hours 11pm to 7am do matter in three ways:

  • Warning notices. Between 11pm and 7am a council may issue a warning notice about noise above a permitted level from a home or licensed premises. The permitted level is measured inside the home of the person complaining: 34 dBA when the background there is no more than 24 dBA, otherwise 10 dBA above the background.
  • Penalties. If the warning is ignored, the council can offer a fixed penalty of up to £110 for a home or £500 for licensed premises. On conviction, the fine can be up to £1,000 for a home and unlimited for licensed premises.
  • The police’s own suggestion. The Met suggests neighbours agree a compromise “such as no loud music after 11pm”. That is advice, not law.

Two other fixed times: using a loudspeaker in the street between 9pm and 8am is an offence, with exceptions such as emergencies, some vehicles and council consent; and adult fireworks are illegal between 11pm and 7am except on a few nights a year (see fireworks late at night).

What counts as a statutory nuisance

Noise can be a statutory nuisance if it unreasonably and substantially interferes with the use or enjoyment of a home or other premises, or if it injures health or is likely to injure health. Loud music from a home, a garden or certain vessels can be dealt with this way.

What the council can do

A council must take reasonably practicable steps to investigate a statutory-nuisance complaint made by someone living in its area. If it is satisfied that a statutory nuisance exists, or is likely to occur or recur, it must serve an abatement notice (or, for noise, take certain persuasive steps first). An abatement notice can require the nuisance to be stopped, restricted or prevented from recurring.

Councils can investigate at any time of day or night, but each council decides whether to provide officers on call at night. That is why the table below matters: it shows what each council says on its own page.

What all 33 London councils say

We read each council’s own page: 20 on 3 October 2026 and the other 13 on 13 October 2026. Night services change, often by season, and several close over Christmas and New Year (Southwark, Lambeth and Hammersmith and Fulham say so below), so check your council’s page before you rely on it. Not sure which council you are in? Find it with GOV.UK.

Council What its own page says about reporting noise What it says about night-time Source
Barking and Dagenham “The best way to report nuisance noise is by using our online form: Report nuisance noise form” “The noise service currently operates six days per week, offering a late-night out-of-hours service on a Friday and Saturday.” council page
Barnet “Telephone 020 8359 7995, Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm.” “Our out-of-hours phone number is 020 8359 4605 and is available on Saturday from 12pm to 8pm.” council page
Bexley “You can make a noise complaint by using our online form.” Nothing about night-time on this page council page
Brent “You should use The Noise App to tell us about noise nuisance.” “To report a noise nuisance outside of regular hours, you can call 020 8937 1234 between 6pm and 2am, Friday to Sunday.” council page
Bromley “Noise report form” “7:00pm to 2:00am on Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Bank Holidays. Telephone: 0300 303 8671” council page
Camden “If you are experiencing issues reporting a noise or other nuisance online, call 0207 974 4444” “We will also run an out-of-hours response service on evenings, weekends and public holidays:” council page
City of London “If you are in the Square Mile and being disturbed by noise now call 020 7606 3030.” “This is a 24-hour service available every day of the year.” council page
Croydon “You can report a noise pollution issue online.” “We no longer provide a 24 hour and night noise service.” council page
Ealing “To report an noise nuisance happening now telephone 020 8825 8111.” “This service is available: * Monday and Tuesday: 9am to 5pm * Wednesday and Thursday: 9am to midnight * Friday: 9am to 1am * Saturday: 4pm to 1am * Sunday: 2pm to 11pm” council page
Enfield “you can report it by calling us on 020 8379 1000” “The council operate a noise team on Friday and Saturday nights between 9pm and 3am.” council page
Greenwich “To report ongoing noise, call: 020 8921 8921” “Monday to Wednesday, 8am to 5:30pm; Thursday to Sunday, 8am to 2am” council page
Hackney “You can report ongoing or one-off noise at any time online: Report noise now” “Out of hours service: Thursday 6.30pm to 2am, Friday 9pm to 2am, Saturday 9pm to 2am, Sunday 6.30pm to 2am” council page
Hammersmith and Fulham “To report an ongoing noise or nuisance complaint which is not ongoing at the moment or outside service hours , use our online form below or email: [email protected]” “Our noise and nuisance service operates 7 days a week, 8am to 3am, including weekends and bank holidays except for Christmas Day and Boxing Day.” “Outside office hours: 020 8748 8588” council page
Haringey “The best way to report a noise complaint is to complete our online form.” No night service on this page; its phone line is weekdays only (“Saturday and Sunday closed”) council page
Harrow Online, with “A completed 14-day noise diary to show that the problem is ongoing.” “We do not provide an out-of-hours noise service. One-off issues such as shop alarms or parties cannot be dealt with at night.” council page
Havering “In order for us to investigate the issue please complete the relevant form” “We are unable to provide a 24/7 reactive service.” council page
Hillingdon “To make a report of noise, complete our online form, ensuring you upload your completed diary sheet” Nothing about night-time on this page council page
Hounslow “please call 020 8583 2222.” “If you are affected by unreasonable noise on a Friday or Saturday night, we can help. This service is available: Friday night from 10pm to 2am; Saturday night from 10pm to 2am.” council page
Islington “you can report it online.” Nothing about night-time on this page council page
Kensington and Chelsea “the quickest and easiest way to report a noise or nuisance anytime day or night is by filling in a simple online form”; or 020 7361 3002 “Sunday to Thursday, 7am to 3am; Friday and Saturday, 7am to 5am” council page
Kingston upon Thames “You can use our online form to tell us about noise nuisance.” Nothing about night-time on this page council page
Lambeth “Telephone: 020 7926 5000” “Friday | 9am to 5pm | 7pm to 3am; Saturday | No daytime service | 7pm to 3am” and “The entire service is closed on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day.” council page
Lewisham Online form: “The form asks you to tell us the time, length, location and how the disturbance is affecting you.” Nothing about night-time on this page council page
Merton “Make a formal complaint” Nothing about night-time on this page council page
Newham Online form “We do not provide a response in the form of a visit, but an officer may contact you during office hours which are Monday to Friday 9am – 5pm.” council page
Redbridge “report it using our online form” “call 07976 398426. Fridays from 9pm - 2am; Saturdays from 9pm - 2am; Sundays from 9pm to 11pm” council page
Richmond upon Thames “If the nuisance is happening now, you can report it using our online form.” “If you are being disturbed between 8pm and 3am on Friday or Saturday night you should contact our weekend noise service on 07944 038 495” council page
Southwark “calling 020 7525 5777” “Our rapid response team operates every day from 8am to 4am. This service is closed between midnight on 24 December and 5pm on 26 December.” council page
Sutton “report it using our online form” “make out of hours visits, where necessary” council page
Tower Hamlets “If excessive noise is disturbing you, please contact the noise service on 020 7364 5000.” “Out of Hours Noise Response Service on Thursday to Sunday (evenings only) from 8pm to 3.30am.” council page
Waltham Forest “Report noise nuisance” Nothing about night-time on this page council page
Wandsworth “Report it by phone: call 020 8871 6127” (not if you live on a council estate: “there is separate guidance for this”) “Thursday: 7pm to 2am; Friday: 8pm to 3am; Saturday: 1pm to 3am; Sunday: 9am to 4pm and 7pm to 2am” council page
Westminster “Report a noise problem” For party, alarm, licensed-premises and out-of-hours works noise: “These issues are investigated 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.” Neighbour and residential noise is reviewed “within 4 working days”. council page

Use this data: all 33 councils, with building-work hours and source links, as a free CSV or JSON (CC BY 4.0, how it was made). Residents’ associations, tenants’ groups and student housing teams are welcome to reuse it with a link back.

Quick answers

Can I call the police for a noise complaint? For neighbour noise, music or a party, the Met says to contact your council. Call the police if you are threatened or targeted (101 or online), or if someone is in danger (999).

Can I call 999 for noise? Only if someone is in danger, is being threatened with violence, or a crime is happening now.

Can I call 101 for noise? For the noise itself, use the council. 101 is for antisocial behaviour in public, threats, harassment or car meets.

After what time can I complain about noise? At any time. A council can treat noise as a nuisance by day or by night. From 11pm to 7am it can also issue a warning notice.

Is there a law against loud music after 11pm? No single law, but music at night is more likely to be a nuisance, and from 11pm a council can serve a warning notice if it is above the permitted level.

What if my council has no night service? Report online at the time, keep a diary of dates and times, and record the noise if you can. Many councils need a pattern, not one night.

Related: Building work noise: allowed hours in every council · Fireworks late at night: what time is legal · Getting home safely at night · Emergency numbers and essential services · Stuck in London overnight

Sources

Every statement above rests on a page we opened and checked on 3 or 13 October 2026. We are not a medical, legal or emergency service: for an emergency, ring 999.

Checked: 13 October 2026

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