THE ALMOST £4,000 punishment imposed on a Milford Haven woman who repeatedly refused to turn her music down “should be a warning to others” over anti-social behaviour.

Gemma Hughes, 27, had been repeatedly asked by Pembrokeshire County Council to turn down the volume of music that she played at her previous address at 10 Howarth Close, Milford Haven.

Her persistent failure to comply resulted in a noise abatement notice being served by the local authority. But Hughes continued to ignore it.

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She appeared at Haverfordwest Magistrates’ Court on August 30 charged with two counts of contravening and failing to comply with an abatement notice.

Hughes did not appear in court, but was found guilty of both charges.

She was ordered to pay a total of £3,979.75 - comprising of a £660 fine for each offence, £2,525.75 of costs to Pembrokeshire County Council, and a £132 surcharge.

Cllr Michelle Bateman, Pembrokeshire council’s cabinet member for housing operations and regulatory services, welcomed Hughes’ prosecution.

“This successful prosecution and the level of fines and costs awarded show that we and the courts take the matter of noise very seriously,” Cllr Bateman said.

“Playing music loudly and late at night can have a major impact on the quality of neighbours’ lives. The council has engaged with the defendant and issued a noise abatement notice.

“It should be a warning to others that ignoring a notice and continuing to cause a noise nuisance will result in prosecution.

“I would like to highlight and commend the effective partnership working that achieved this result.

“We are working closely with Dyfed-Powys Police and the Neighbourhood Policing Teams to allow for the exchange of information and evidence around nuisance issues, like noise, and also community tensions.

“This partnership working is allowing us to tackle community concerns and improve people’s lives.”