NOISY celebrations will go unchecked by Fareham's environmental health officers who plan to operate a reduced service during the new year festivities.

A report to councillors is being prepared proposing no out-of-hours service from the morning of December 31 1999 until January 2, 2000.

Garry White, environmental health manager for Fareham Borough Council said: "We are not shirking. We anticipate that there will be a lot of parties, but we are hoping that people will be tolerant because it is a one-off event. Staff will be back on January 2 to deal with problems. They have been told to use discretion in what they will deal with in terms of noise nuisance.

"We will be taking a low-key approach."

But he said this was not a licence to go wild and make other people's lives a misery: "We don't want to be seen as kill-joys, so we hope people have a responsible attitude to their neighbours."

He added that environmental health officers can be contacted but only for real emergencies.

Residents whose homes fall within Winchester City Council's remit - such as the Meon Valley - will also find their authority turning a deaf ear to noise nuisance during the celebrations.

The city council says revellers and car alarms will be low on its list of priorities, because staff will have to be prepared to deal with more urgent problems caused by the millennium bug, although officers will set up an out-of-hours service.

But environmental health officer Robert Heathcock denied the laid-back approach to late night revelries will be a licence to party.

He said: "It's a pragmatic approach. Our policy for parties has always been live and let live, unless it gets totally out of hand. We are taking the view that people will be disturbed for only one night."

Converted for the new archive on 25 January 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.