A man who tormented neighbours for years by repeatedly blasting loud, bass-heavy music has been ordered to pay nearly £3,000 by a court.
Imre Lakatos, of Napier Road, was convicted in his absence at Bradford Magistrates’ Court after failing to attend a hearing on Friday.
The court heard Lakatos had persistently played excessively loud music despite repeated warnings from Bradford Council, causing ongoing distress to nearby residents.
Waseem Raja, prosecuting on behalf of the council, described the situation as “a long-standing issue” between Lakatos and his neighbours, with music blaring throughout the day and night.
Between August and September 2025 alone, neighbours lodged 38 separate noise complaints using the council’s reporting app. Officials said the disturbance had in fact continued for several years before that.
Bradford Council’s environmental enforcement officers at first attempted to resolve the matter informally.
“We issue noise abatement notices as a last resort the team always try to resolve the matter amicably, and if that doesn’t work, provide warnings,” Mr Raja told the court.
Multiple warning letters were sent to Lakatos throughout 2024, but these “provided no relief” for residents.
Imre Lakatos, of Napier Road, was convicted in his absence at Bradford Magistrates’ Court
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When council officers attended the property in June 2025, they initially received no response.
Staff were forced to tap on a window because the volume of music inside meant Lakatos could not hear them knocking.
After eventually answering the door, he switched off the music and claimed he had only been testing equipment he planned to sell.
However, neighbours later submitted further recordings showing the disturbance continued.
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Lakatos switched off the music and claimed he had only been testing equipment he planned to sell (file photo)
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Mr Raja said the evidence captured “loud, amplified music with a heavy bass” being played at “unreasonable volume levels”, with lyrics clearly audible from neighbouring homes.
Bradford Council later secured authorisation to enter the property and seize the equipment responsible, removing several speakers.
After Lakatos continued to ignore the abatement notice, the authority pursued prosecution.
Magistrates convicted him in his absence, issuing a £445 fine and a £176 court surcharge.
Bradford Council later secured authorisation to enter the property and seize the equipment responsible
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He was also ordered to pay £2,290 in council costs, taking the total to £2,911.
The charge stated Lakatos had failed to comply with a noise abatement notice under section 80(1) of the Environmental Protection Act between June and November 2025.
More than 450,000 noise complaints are made to local authorities across Britain every year – around 1,200 filed on average each day.
The region where the highest number of complaints are reported is London, followed by Scotland and the West Midlands.
