WHEN noise finally reduces a person to shreds, who can help?

As awareness of environmental matters has increased, so too has the authority and workload of environmental health departments.

Bolton's principal environmental health officer in pollution control is Steve Maslivec. The problems on his desk range from whining factory fitments to noisy amorous couples.

He described the process of noise complaint briefly, the subject being so complex and diverse, it could fill the BEN.

Each year there are 1,000 complaints of noise in this town, 60 to 70 per cent of them relating to domestic situations (loud music, barking dogs, do-it-yourself at unreasonable hours), the rest relating to industrial or commercial noise (revving vans, factory equipment). Two or three complaints annually are from people fed up of listening to their neighbours' noisy lovemaking.

If the source is industrial, an officer will go out to investigate. If the nuisance is actionable the proprietors are told. If they do not co-operate, a legal notice is served; if this is not complied with, magistrates are involved and a fine of up to £20,000 may be levied.

If the complaint involves noise in a domestic situation, the maximum fine is £5,000. Under the Environmental Protection Act, the difficulties of an officer pinning down a problem which may be intermittent are recognised by the fact that people can make their own complaints to magistrates. About 12 people each year do just this after recording incidents in diaries. This process leaves the way open for malicious complaint, but magistrates are not unaware of this and Steve quoted a classic instance of a case where the tables were turned. It involved a woman who claimed her female neighbour made noise at all times, bringing men back to the house and disturbing the peace.

The complainant was the one ordered to keep quiet after she presented a convincing "record" of the offending behaviour - but not as convincing as that kept by her neighbour, a mature law student who put in a counter-claim.

Steve's advice is for people to try and sort any problem out themselves, reasonably. He often liaises with Bolton's neighbour dispute mediation service, run by Sue Parry, based at Adelaide House. But if all else fails, Steve and his fellow officers are in Weston House, Weston Street, Bolton.

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