WHEN walking along a city centre street recently I heard loud music thumping from the upstairs window of a terraced house.

It set my teeth on edge. I immediately thought not of whoever was enjoying listening to it, but of the people in the neighbouring homes, and what effect the music was having on them.

Unwanted noise in your home can play havoc with your mental wellbeing.

I should know. Years ago I was almost driven mad by noise from the house next door. A house of multiple occupation with at least seven tenants, doors banged at all times of day and night, but worst of all was the music. One of the residents played Queen at top volume. I hate Queen at the best of times, but when you have it whining through your wallpaper at 2am and you’ve just got your baby off to sleep, it’s enough to make you want to throw a brick through your neighbour’s window.

Instead, I used to go round in my pyjamas and thump on the door - to no avail. When my husband came back from work all I could talk about was the noise, causing no end of marital strife. When we went out for the day, I would dread returning. Hence my extreme sensitivity to music, however melodic, drifting out of windows.

A noisy neighbour can markedly affect your quality of life. During lockdown complaints rose by a quarter across the UK, hitting a peak of 1,000 a day after people were ordered to stay at home. A study by Churchill Insurance found that 368,900 complaints were made nationally between April 2020 and March 2021 - a 28 per cent rise from the previous 12 months.

Thirty-two per cent of people said their mental health had been negatively affected by the noise. The worst type of disturbance was neighbours playing music followed by noise from children, garden noise, parties and comings and going at anti-social hours.

I can easily live with any other noise that is relatively short-lived and part of family life. My own family were far from quiet, but if we ever did anything out-of the ordinary that would cause noise for long periods, such as having a party, I told my neighbours in advance. No-one minds excessive noise if it is occasional and you know it’s going to happen. It’s loud, sustained noise that’s the problem.

I’ve lived in two houses with horrifically noisy neighbours. Our first marital home was blighted by a couple who had a games console in their bedroom. The racket was so bad one night that the man living on the other side stormed round brandishing a kitchen knife.

Whether it’s music or dogs barking - dogs should not be left locked up all day whether noisy or not - unwanted noise can cause significant stress. I couldn’t possibly have worked from home at my previous address.

It’s not always easy to eradicate neighbour noise. Only11 per cent of people surveyed had reported the noise to their local council, suggesting that the true number of noise-related issues could be far higher.

I have always hesitated to formally report neighbour noise, primarily because such things go against you when selling your home. Speaking directly to them should work, but often doesn’t. In my experience, it usually makes it worse.

Neighbour noise isn’t confined to homes with adjoining dwellings. Detached homes can be plagued by the constant onslaught of hedge trimmers, lawn mowers and leaf blowers noisier than jet planes. Anyone with considerate, quiet neighbours should count their blessings.