Dog owners back in court for noise nuisance

Two Llandysul dog owners have found themselves back before the courts for failing to control their dogs barking.

Last year Mark Stuart and Julie Ann Thompson, of Temple Cottage in Velindre, were ordered to pay over £3,000 by Llanelli Magistrates after they were found guilty failing to comply with a noise abatement notice after neighbours claimed their 16 dogs were keeping them up all hours of the night.

Over 130 recordings of excessive dog barking were received by Carmarthenshire County Council’s through their Noise App tool and a petition contained 90 signatures. Some barking incidents were happening at midnight and 4am.

The pair, aged 56, admitted failing to comply with a noise abatement notice and keeping their dogs from barking excessively when they appeared at Llanelli Magistrates Court recently.

They were each fined £80 and ordered to pay £250 court costs. They must also pay £32 victim surcharge.

In mitigation the couple claimed that they had done everything that they could to prevent their dogs from causing a nuisance and that other people had antagonised the dogs causing them to bark. They also claimed the recordings included barking from other people’s dogs.  They also suggested that the council’s recordings were very sensitive and picking up other noises from a wide area.

The council’s executive board member for public protection, Cllr Philip Hughes said: “It is very disappointing to find Mr and Mrs Thompson back before the courts just a year later after been found guilty for the same offence. The evidence clearly shows that there was a significant amount of continuing disturbance caused by the barking throughout the day and night and the pair failed to keep their dogs from barking under control. These noise levels are totally unacceptable and have caused a lot of stress for the residents for a considerable length of time. I now hope that Mr and Mrs Thompson will take the appropriate action to ensure they keep their dogs barking under control.”