Families 'left distressed' by 24-hour industrial noise

The ombudsman said the council had not responded properly to residents' noise complaints

A council failed to deal properly with complaints from residents living close to a noisy industrial estate, an inquiry has found.

Daventry District Council came under fire after concerns about "unsociable" noise coming from Lodge Farm, in Duston near Northampton, during the night.

Vehicle noise and announcements left families "distressed", local government ombudsman Michael King ruled.

Mr King said the council had "refused to acknowledge its faults".

A spokesman for Daventry District Council said: "Councillors will consider the ombudsman's report and the council's response to it at the meeting of full council on 20 February."

The ombudsman was asked to investigate after residents on the unnamed 200-home development complained about the council's handling of their concerns.

Their houses border an industrial estate with several businesses that operate 24 hours a day, the report said.

Mr King said one family "had been left distressed by both the situation they found themselves in and the council's response".

He found the council had made "unproven assumptions" that one resident had an "undue sensitivity to noise".

"I am disappointed that, despite making repeated efforts to get the council to agree to remedy this complaint, it has repeatedly refused to acknowledge its faults," he said.

"I now call upon Daventry District Council to carry out my recommendations and work with both experts and local residents to see if there are measures that can be put in place to mitigate the problems these people face."

Mr King has called on the council to apologise and compensate complainants - and appoint an independent noise consultant to investigate the problem.