Working men's club billed £10k for blasting out Time Warp and Bat Out of Hell

People trying to sleep near Chadsmoor Progressive Club in Burns Street, Cannock, were kept awake as songs were played as late as 11.50pm, the town's magistrates' court heard.

In one home the noise from the music drowned out the sound of a washing machine in the kitchen.

The club's committee, which serves about 700 members, had already been told to stop making such noise in August 2015 by Cannock Chase District Council.

The authority served the club an abatement notice – but residents lodged three further complaints in November 2015, December 2015 and February this year.

On December 5, 2015, two council environmental health officers visited a house which had previously complained about the club's noise three weeks after another disruptive event on November 14.

On behalf of the council, Mr Tony Watkin told the court that as music belted out from the club at about 10pm on December 5, an environmental health officer found it to be so loud it drowned out the noise from a washing machine that was being used in a kitchen at the same time.

And then on February 20 this year, residents said they were again annoyed by songs including the Rolling Stones' (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction and the Spencer Davis Group's Keep On Running, which were played at a loud volume at about 11.20pm.

The club's secretary Reg Saunders was interviewed over the continuing problems in January but said complainants were being 'vindictive'.

A new committee had taken over the club shortly before the complaints started and found it to be in a 'very poor' financial position, Mr Saunders said, and the events were held to boost its financial position.

While the club admitted it had breached an abatement notice three times, Mr Saunders maintained the complaints were not solely made over the noise but because of a frosty relationship that had developed between some of the complainants and the committee.

But District Judge Jack McGarva dismissed the claim that there had been a 'deliberate vendetta' against the club – and said it was clear the music was being played too loud as it was heard by independent council workers.

He said: "Loud rock music is the making of a great night out but for others who find it invading their homes when they don't want it, it can be disruptive."

The club has since stopped all music shows but held an event for Halloween. The court heard the committee plans to take out a loan to improve soundproofing there.

But it will need to find money to pay other costs after the judge fined it £4,500 for breaching the notice.

It will also need to pay £5,344 of prosecution costs after only pleading guilty on the day a trial was due to start, along with a surcharge of £170. Club bosses now have 12 months to pay the total of £10,014.