IF you've ever lain awake at night frustrated by the thumping bass line of your neighbour's music, you may have taken the traditional approach of banging a broomstick on the wall.

But there is more than one way to tackle this thorny problem. Bromsgrove District Council is willing to crack down on noisemakers and there is a team of environmental health officers just waiting to get their mitts on your booming evidence.

Noise can be the bane of many people's lives and to promote Noise Action Day, I was invited to check out the council's hi-tech equipment and see how it tackles noise problems.

The district council has the only specialist acoustics room and equipment in Worcestershire.

It is hidden away above the many offices at the Council House and can only be accessed by a rather rickety ladder but its isolation means the taped evidence of noise complaints can be heard with no other sounds interfering.

Noise is defined as unwanted sound. Environmental health officer (EHO) Richard Williams specialises in noise problems.

"At the district council we take a dim view of noise problems. We are keen to crack down on people who make unnecessary noise and disturb others," he said.

The most common complaint is loud music but other noises such as televisions, arguing, dogs barking and trains all feature in the work of the officers.

There are many different factors used to decide if a noise is just that or if it constitutes a 'statutory nuisance'.

The time of the day, the volume of the noise and the repetitiveness of the noise all affect the judgement given by the officers.

Over the last three years, the district council have made four seizures including stereo equipment and televisions - and other noise making equipment can also be confiscated. Noise complaints are a lengthy process but the EHOs at Bromsgrove have a good record of getting problems sorted. A seven-year noise complaint about trains in Barnt Green resulted in a special active lubrication system being fitted to the train line to dull the screeching on the track.

Richard is keen to stress that the first step with any noise problem is to approach the noisemaker calmly and explain the situation. In most circumstances people don't know they're making a noise, and will quickly halt the problem. If the noise doesn't stop, the next stage is to keep a diary recording dates, times and the cause of noise and the effect it has on you.

If the council thinks you may have a case, they will install monitoring equipment which will record the noise. The recording will be calibrated to make sure when it's played back it's a true reflection of the noise and this can be used as evidence to prosecute the noisemaker.

The district council cannot promise to solve every noise problem but with its hi-tech equipment and the hard work of the environmental health officers it is striving to make Bromsgrove a quieter and more peaceful place to live.

If you are suffering from noise problems you can phone 01527 881444 during office hours.