Letter: Sound fury

I agree that unwanted noise makes people sick ("Just shut up", Real Life, 22 June). As well as the psychological effect, it causes migraine, raises blood pressure and increases heart rate.

Local authorities have a statutory duty to stop the source of the problem and yet few seem capable of fulfilling this. Why? Councils will forcibly enter a property and seize assets if council tax is not paid so why not do the same to enforce the noise nuisance law? Perhaps victims of noise nuisance should band together and take legal action against local authorities that fail in this respect. Jack Straw, too, should do more; after all, he made anti-social neighbours one of his campaign issues.

Moving house, your writer's solution, is no guarantee of peace and quiet. The new neighbours could be just as obnoxious.

Judith Hendershott

London SE3