NOISE complaints have been made about padel courts sounding like “a shooting range.”
The sound of the increasingly popular racket sport, which combines elements of tennis and squash, has been likened to gunfire.
Padel was one of the more unusual sources of “nuisance” noise investigated by Worcestershire Regulatory Services (WRS) over the past 12 months.
WRS carries out environmental health services on behalf of Worcestershire’s six district councils.
SPORT: The noise of padel tennis has been likened to gunfire (Image: Getty Images)
A car wash, ongoing construction work, and powered paragliders were also the subject of complaints.
In a report, WRS said: “The summer months saw the team involved in some very interesting and unusual nuisance investigations.
“In addition to the usual barking dog complaints, which included the submission of an enforcement file for breach of an abatement notice in Worcester, officers investigated nuisance arising from extensive development works in Bromsgrove, noise nuisance from a car wash in Redditch, which has subsequently closed following our involvement, and noise in Bromsgrove in respect of the fast-growing sport of Padel, the sound of which unfortunately is somewhat akin in nature to that of a shooting range.
“We also received a query in respect of paramotor aviators in Malvern Hills – not a problem for which we have powers, but we were able to signpost to the appropriate regulatory body.”
READ MORE: David Lloyd gym at Sixways plans to build new padel courts
The report said the past year has been a “challenging time” for the community environmental health team, which is covering the vacant role of principal officer using agency staff.
“Recruitment has proven to be very difficult due to the nationally recognised shortage of qualified environmental health officers but remains ongoing,” it said.
“The team investigated 2,194 service requests in respect of nuisance work, 829 of which related to noise from domestic premises. 26 abatement notices were served.
Hundreds back pub’s bid for longer hours as council approves plans
Residents fear ‘misery’ as homes could be surrounded by new industrial estate
Worcester taxi fares to rise despite fears hike will ‘force drivers out of business’
“Major works in default were undertaken to resolve a long-standing drainage issue in Barnt Green.
“An old septic tank system and soakaway at a residential property had failed, giving rise to discharges of sewage across the property and into the road.
“Remedial works included the installation of a modern packaged sewage treatment plant with consented discharge into the highway drainage system, avoiding the need for a new soakaway which would have been costly and disruptive and prone to future failure.”
