A NOISY neighbour has been fined and had his stereo confiscated by court order after ignoring warnings to turn his music down.

Michael Ioannou caused misery to people living near to him in Weston’s Rydal Close with his high-volume dance tunes.

Frustrated neighbours began filing complaints about the loud music emanating from 58-year-old Ioannou’s home back in December last year.

North Somerset Council investigators spent months collecting evidence, and in April this year served him with a noise abatement notice.

The notice ordered him to ‘ensure the volume of amplified music is not intrusive to nearby or adjoining residential properties’.

Ioannou ignored the order. On May 31, a council officer visited a neighbour in Rydal Close in response to further complaints, and monitoring equipment showed Ioannou was still proving a noise nuisance.

Loud music, featuring a heavy, repetitive bass beat, could be heard from adjoining properties. The beat was virtually continuous, with only occasional short pauses before the loud rhythm began again.

North Somerset Courthouse this week saw Ioannou plead guilty to failing to obey the noise abatement notice. He was fined �100, and ordered to pay �450 court costs and a �15 victim surcharge.

Magistrates also ordered him to surrender two stereos, a CD player and a number of speakers.

North Somerset Council’s executive member for environmental health, Peter Bryant, said the court ruling should serve as a warning to other noisy neighbours.

He said: “We will investigate noise complaints and people need to be aware that failing to heed abatement notices could cost them dear.”