A Porth resident has been ordered to pay more than £1,500 after her barking dogs made her neighbour’s life a misery, with a court hearing that an astounding 225 recordings of the noise were submitted within just three months. 🐕🦺⚖️
Keira Marsh repeatedly ignored warnings from Rhondda Cynon Taf Council to address the noise issue, which environmental health officers confirmed constituted a “statutory noise nuisance” after witnessing the “continuous barking” themselves.
Despite being served with an abatement notice requiring her to stop the disturbance, Marsh failed to attend interviews at council offices and continued to allow her dogs to bark excessively.
The case was heard at Merthyr Tydfil Magistrates’ Court, where evidence showed “multiple dogs were left to bark for prolonged periods of time and the abatement notice had been breached.” Marsh did not attend the hearing and was found guilty in her absence of breaching the notice on six separate occasions.
She received a £300 fine plus £1,115.27 in costs and a £120 victim surcharge, totalling £1,535.27.
RCT cabinet member and councillor Bob Harris said: “The council’s environmental health team investigates noise complaints and, when officers have evidenced the noise constitutes a statutory nuisance, we always try to work positively with the subject of the complaint to offer advice and guidance on how to deal with the issue.
“In this case the council’s efforts to find a solution to the problem were repeatedly ignored leaving officers no other option than to prosecute.”
A council spokesman added: “The occasional bark or ‘woof’ is usually not a problem for neighbours and others in the community but when barking becomes excessive it’s often considered unacceptable and can materially interfere with use of a person’s property.
“The dog’s welfare may also be compromised but the owner may not realise their dog has been barking if they’re not around at that time.”
Residents experiencing similar issues are encouraged to speak with dog owners directly before contacting the council if problems persist.
