A Birmingham nursery has escaped fines and prosecution following the withdrawal of a noise abatement notice.
Little Angels Day Nursery and Pre-school in Sandwell was issued an abatement notice by Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council on 3 August last year, following numerous complaints from one next-door neighbour. The council decided not to uphold the notice days before the two parties were due to appear before a county court.
The case follows similar experiences at nurseries in Hampshire and Cornwall, with staff forced to restrict the hours of children's outdoor play (News, 18 August and 15 December 2005; Nursery Business, Spring 2006).
Owner and manager of Little Angels, Viv Bent, said, 'Looking at the abatement notice, we obviously couldn't understand what it was. It said we had to stop the children shouting, screaming or raising their voices within 21 days or we were liable for a fine of up to 20,000. When children are playing, how can you stop them raising their voices?'
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