Church hall fined over noise

Hits including Tainted Love and Disco Inferno had been booming out of Aldridge's Friary Club for years, tormenting families living nearby. The club, based at St Mary of the Angels Church in Whetstone Lane, was stripped of its entertainments licence last year following a catalogue of complaints, and had a noise abatement order imposed.

But the popular Whetstone road venue still played loud music, leaving its furious neighbours unable to get a good night's sleep.

Mr Dominic Patouchas, prosecuting on behalf of Walsall Council, said when environmental health officers visited the club the noise was not acceptable and was stopping people from living a normal life."

"The club was warned about the noise and handed a noise abatement notice last year.

"But the club has continued to play the music and so is in breach of the noise abatement notice."

Mr Mark Moore, defending the club which has been running for 50 years, said it was run by volunteers who were not experts in running music venues.

"The club is very sorry for any upset caused to its neighbours which was not deliberate," he said. "When officers from the council came to the premises they were not able to tell the members at what level the music should be played at.

"They had taken measures to combat the noise including making the building soundproof and putting the speakers on rubberised mats. But the club has since stopped its discos which is proving to have an affect on its finances."

He said the club admitted four charges of breaching a noise abatement order.

The club was fined £500 for each offence and told to pay costs of £741.71.

One neighbour, who has lived on St Mary's Way for 22 years but did not want to be named, said: "It has been a nightmare since 2004.

"The music is so loud you can hear it 200 yards away.

"I don't know the names to the disco tracks played but my wife does and they were played over and over.

"You just couldn't sleep – it was like a living nightmare. I just hope this is the end of it."