North Ayrshire Council

Statutory nuisances are defined in Section 79 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990.

Examples of statutory nuisances are:

• choked drains
• accumulations or deposits of food waste or other putrescible material liable to cause odours, flies or attract rats and mice
• dog fouling on communally owned private land (dog fouling on public roads, footpaths or any area maintained by the council is dealt with by Streetscene)
• smoke from bonfires and other deliberate fires
• nuisance from security lights
• noise coming from premises
• insects emerging from premises
• dust, steam or odours arising on business premises
• animals kept in insanitary conditions (not farm livestock)
• agricultural odours

We have a duty to investigate complaints about potential statutory nuisances.

If there is sufficient evidence of a statutory nuisance, Environmental Health will serve notice (an Abatement Notice) on the person responsible for the nuisance.

If the identity of that person is not known, notice may be served on the owner or occupier of the land where the nuisance exists.

Register your complaint

Please contact Environmental Health to register your complaint. 

We will make every effort to respond to your complaint within 5 working days. 

Complaints considered to be high priority will receive a response by the following working day.

Domestic waste 

Please use our Waste reporting section to tell us about problems with:

• dog fouling
• graffiti
• fly-tipping and fly posting
• abandoned vehicles
• dead animals