Likewise, everyone has the right to enjoy themselves in their home too - as long as things don’t get out of hand and make life miserable for neighbours. 

At this time of year, people are more likely to have friends and family over and music volumes can start to creep up, often unintentionally.  Voices can then also get louder and before long neighbours can be disturbed. 

There are some common courtesies you can make (if you feel it is safe to do so) to avoid a neighbour dispute over festive noise. 

If you are having people over or having a party, you could consider letting your neighbours know in advance and agree arrangements on how to contact if things get too noisy – such as sending a text or social media message. 

You can also give an outline of when the event is likely to finish as most neighbours are reasonable if they know what to expect.  Positive communication where possible can go a long way to avoiding causing neighbours distress and leading to a longer-term neighbour dispute.

Chair of the Community and Enterprise Resources Committee, Councillor Robert Brown, said: “It’s fairly common for officers to receive domestic noise complaints during the day and early in the evening too. 

“A lot of the time when officers warn a householder to reduce the volume of their music they are met with the excuse – I can do what I want before midnight. 

“That’s a myth – excessive noise can cause a disturbance at any time of the day, and the noise provisions adopted by the council apply at all times of day, seven days a week.”

Ongoing excessive noise can be reported to Environmental Services on 0303 123 1015 (Monday-Thursday from 8.45am to 4.45pm and Friday from 8.45am to 4.15pm) or on 0800 24 20 24 between 4.30pm and 3am (seven nights a week). 

The team is working over the Christmas and New Year periods and can call out to give advice or take action to stop the noise.  Where noise relates to potential violence, suspected domestic abuse or shouting, screaming and fighting please report this direct to Police Scotland on 101 (999 for ongoing emergencies).