On Friday 1 June 2012, at Harrogate Magistrates’ Court, Mr Simon Craig Moore of Tockwith Multi Drive Centre,Tockwith Airfield, Tockwith pleaded guilty to 10 offences of noise nuisance.
Harrogate Borough Council’s Environmental Protection Team served an Environmental Protection Act 1990 section 80 noise abatement notice on
Mr Moore in March 2010 that required him to stop the noise from activities on the site.
Mr Moore appealed against the notice in 2010 but withdrew it in April 2011. The abatement notice came in to force in August 2011 and it was after this date that the Environmental Protection Team witnessed 10 breaches of the notice. The noise during events at the site was described by local residents ‘…as a constant loud drone, popping engines and tyre squeal which on occasions was so loud they had to leave their homes’.
Environmental Protection Officers described the noise as intrusive and one that would not be expected in the predominantly rural soundscape. It prevented residents from enjoying their homes and gardens.
The sentence was a £2000 fine for the offence on 3 September 2011 with no separate penalty for the other 9 offences. On passing sentence the Chair of the Bench advised Mr Moore that they considered the offences to be very serious and had
Mr Moore’s financial circumstances been different the total fine would have been over £20,000.
Mr Moore was ordered to pay the council’s full costs of £3,719 and a victim surcharge of £15.
