More than 4,000 complaints about noisy neighbours were received by Southend Council last year.

And the local authority vowed to punish any resident who makes lives hell for their neighbours.

During 2003, the council issued 71 noise abatement notices, took five prosecutions and carried out 24 seizures of equipment, including household stereos, televisions, multimedia computers and professional DJ systems.

In addition, environmental health officers routinely undertake patrols, along with police officers, on the town's seafront to tackle the noise arising from cruisers and their in-car entertainment systems.

Published Tuesday January 20, 2004

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