30 Years of Noise1979The Sony Walkman is launched. Music seeping from the ubiquitous personal stereos becomes so annoying that it prompts an NAS campaign and London Transport puts posters on tube train carriages proclaiming: 'Keep Your Personal Stereo Personal!' 1985Mobiles look set for the big time as Vodafone and Cellnet open for business in January.1988Ghetto blasters are almost a decade old when NAS forces a Hitachi advertisement to be withdrawn which claimed its 'Super Woofer Ghetto Blaster makes enough noise to wake the dead'. 1990sThe fashion for hard floors and minimal soft furnishings causes many noise complaints.1991NAS makes inroads on car alarm battle - they are only allowed to sound for 30 seconds.2000The Noise Abatement Society establishes the John Connell Awards to give recognition to local authorities and other organisations judged to be outstanding in their efforts to reduce the impact of noise nuisance on the quality of our environment and our lives.2001The Apple iPod launches in 2001, changing the face of the music industry and the way we listen to music for ever. 2003Local authorities are empowered by The Anti-social Behaviour Act to tackle nighttime noise from gardens and dwellings between the hours of 11pm and 7am.2008Extended powers from the Noise Act enable local authorities to tackle nighttime noise from licensed premises.2010Tragically, it takes the cloud of ash from Iceland to bring undreamt of peace and quiet temporarily to the three and a half million people disturbed by aircraft noise in the UK. SoundScapeIssue 0113

movers and shakers24 hour party peopleFor the third consecutive year, with more votes than ever before, music, parties and boom box TVs are the biggest culprits in the ever-popular noisy neighbour category, with parties showing the biggest rise in the number of complaints. Grand designsWith the popularity of minimalist design continuing, complaints about poor quality flooring and insulation in homes received nearly twice as many votes than in 2009.Beep beepFrom the highly annoying 'beep beep' sound of traditional reversing alarms to the incessant howls of burglar alarms, car alarms, smoke alarms and emergency service vehicles - 'we're annoyed' once again in 2010. Vroom vroomCars, lorries, buses and motorbikes are still racing up the noise charts with general traffic noise recording the most individual complaints with three times more calls than in 2009. Shouts of joy and laughterWe love our little darlings, but schools, playgrounds, football pitches, and skateboard parks are noise hot spots, often with high degrees of shouting - either through joy or misbehaviour. Quiet pleaseThe no-smoking laws have pushed patrons to congregate outside pubs, music venues and restaurants as they seek to enjoy a fun night out. Unfortunately this often leads to loud conversation and banter causing noise nuisance to neighbours.The worksNoisy machinery and behaviour from deliveries, and construction and demolition works has attracted a higher number of complaints this year as savvy residents become more outspoken about their unwillingness to tolerate unacceptable levels of noise.The NAS runs the UK's only national noise helpline offering free advice. Most complaints received are about discourteous neighbours, but some are about fundamental flaws in town and rural planning. Mixed-use sites, wind farms and transport delivery noise are some of the issues that the NAS seeks to find remedies for through its links with government, local government, industry and residents. Want to sound off? Ring us on 01273 823850.Sounding OffAnnoyed by unpleasant sounds? Read on to see what got your goat in 2010 as tracked on the Noise Abatement Society's 24-hour noise complaints helplineSoundScapeIssue 0114