RESIDENT’S ‘noise nightmare’ rumbles on as the noise abatement notice served against traffic at the Bombay Sapphire gin-making distillery in Laverstoke is changed.

Karen Chudley and Lindsay Taylor live opposite the Bombay Sapphire distillery in Laverstoke, and have previously experienced noise-related problems due to the pumping of the ethanol at the distillery and large vehicles moving around after the doors were closed.

“It’s really affected our lives,” Karen said. “My health has been declining as a result of the fact that I can’t sleep with all the noise and vibration going on, and they haven’t really helped us. And with the change in times in favour of Bombay Sapphire, we feel that the council is putting their business above our health.”

A noise abatement notice was put into force by Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council (BDBC), restricting the movement of Heavy Goods Vehicles (HGVs) entering the premises between 9pm to 8am, which was taken back and a new notice issued that changed the time to 9pm to 7am.

Lindsay said: “We hear many more vehicles than they originally planned, at all hours of the day and night.

BDBC claim that they cannot feelthe vibration in our house, yet they have never visited our house between 8pm and 5am, when a lot of the noise and vibration happens.”

A spokesperson for the Bombay Sapphire distillery said: “The relationship between the distillery and local residents is really important to us.

“The terms of the noise abatement notice have been agreed, which satisfy the council’s requirements and throughout this process we have undertaken extensive noise monitoring to directly address the concerns of the complainants, employing a specialist agency to do so.

“We are available to discuss local matters at the monthly Parish Council meetings, which are always attended by a distillery representative.”

Head of environmental services at BDBC Colin Rowland said: “We have thoroughly investigated all the noise and vibration issues reported to us about Bombay Sapphire.

“Following extensive monitoring, the only issue we found to be a noise nuisance was due to HGVs arriving and departing from the site outside reasonable operating hours. As a result we served a noise abatement notice restricting times for HGV movements.

“Bombay Sapphire requested that the original time restriction of 8am be amended to 7am. We considered this and decided this is reasonable as it’s consistent with times we may stipulate in a planning condition and with controls we might put in place elsewhere in the borough.”