Southampton City Council will be banging on about noise next week.

environment chiefs are set to have a smashing time when they set about destroying hi-fi equipment taken from problem neighbours.

Victims of noisy neighbours will be joining environmental health staff in the mass "smash-up" of noisy sound systems to highlight National Noise Awareness Day which takes place next Wednesday.

It also aims to put the spotlight on the council's out of hours service and the effect that noise can have on people's lives.

It helps to combat noise nuisance by offering an extended, seven-days-a-week service. If people have a domestic noise problem, officers can help whether they are an owner-occupier, council tenant, housing association tenant or a private landlord.

Officers also deal with noise from pubs and clubs, as well as other commercial premises.

An ongoing noise problem can be dealt with by contacting the council's service during office hours. A case officer is assigned, the other party is contacted and the complainant is informed about the night-time service.

In most cases, an informal approach is sufficient to improve the situation.

In persistent cases, officers would need to assess the noise before taking any enforcement action, such as serving an abatement notice.

In extreme cases, officers can seize and confiscate equipment, most commonly hi-fis. Cabinet member for environment and transport Councillor Jill Baston said: "It is not always easy to complain if you have a noisy neighbour problem and noise nuisance can be very difficult to live with.

"The highly valued extended out of hours service can step in as a 'third party' if noise levels are unacceptable and residents find it awkward to deal with noise problems."

Domestic noise nuisance can be the result of a number of different sources. The most common complaint is amplified music.

More obscure noise nuisance complaints have resulted from screeching parrots, banging headboards and high-pitched frequency sounds emitted from cat scarers.

During the last 12 months, the environmental health service has received 1,350 daytime complaints about noise and 3,300 contacts to the Out of Hours Service.

This has led to 224 noise abatement notices, nine seizures of hi-fi equipment, 23 successful prosecutions and eight court cases pending.