Alarm drives residents and bar customers 'insane'

"Every hour we hear this persistent, high-pitched beeping noise that is driving customers and staff insane."

Thomas Levitt is the manager of Loose Ends, a new cocktail bar that opened two months ago on Friar Lane in Nottingham city centre.

The business has proved popular - but there's a problem.

Mr Levitt says customers are being "driven out" of the bar by the sound of an alarm, programmed to sound at regular intervals to tackle antisocial behaviour and rough sleeping in a nearby car park.

NCP, which owns the car park in St James's Street, said the alarm had been "great" in reducing nuisance behaviour but it was working to make it "less disruptive".

Mr Levitt is not alone in his concerns. Local residents have also expressed frustration about the noise impacting their sleeping habits among other issues.

The operator has a total of nine car parks in the city centre, but the St James's Street site is the only location with the alarm.

It said the alarm was conceived as a safe way of deterring people from loitering in the car park.

But Mr Levitt said the noise was hurting business by driving staff and customers "insane", as well as discouraging people from using the bar's outdoor areas.

"The very minute the alarm goes off, customers want to leave our outdoor seating area, which is a massive problem for us especially given the hot weather," he said.

"When it is peak hours and we are full inside, those customers leave. That's 15 seats empty as quickly as that.

"We are a new business, and 15 paying customers leaving is a massive hit to us. The alarm is costing us custom, reputation and money."

Mr Levitt's concerns about the alarm also extend beyond business.

"I work at the bar 50 hours a week and it drives me insane - never mind residents and people who may be rough sleeping around here," he said.

"To me, it is unethical. The car park might not admit that it's targeting homeless people but we think it is and it isn't fair. It needs switching off permanently."

Residents have also found the alarm irritating.

Alexander Davies and Katie Jones, who live on Standard Hill just opposite the car park, said the noise had made them consider moving out of their home.

Mr Davies, 25, said: "When we have to open our windows in the summer, the sound is unbearable.

"I work in a safety critical role on the railways, and the noise disrupted my sleep to the point where I had to take some time off work.

"We've discussed options like moving elsewhere, but we don't want that to happen."

Miss Jones, 24, added: "We love supporting local businesses, but when we go to places like Loose Ends, we are just reminded of the sound.

"Sometimes it feels like we can't escape the noise, and it puts us off doing things locally."

Nottingham charity Framework, which supports homeless people, said its outreach teams were aware of the alarm, which it understood to be the only one of its kind in the city.

A spokesperson said: "Sleeping on the streets puts people at physical risk - from attack, being urinated on, and losing their possessions.

"In these circumstances out-of-the-way places such as car parks, where you are less visible and can stay warm and dry, are an understandable option.

"If you find someone sleeping rough in a car park, let our outreach team know, and we will try to get them into accommodation at the earliest opportunity."

NCP told the BBC that moving forward, it would look at options such as closing windows in the stairwells to make the noise quieter.

In a statement, the operator said: "We are very sorry if [the alarm] is affecting people staying near the car park.

"Our team constantly reviews whether the current sites that have it are benefitting from using it, so it is an ongoing process."

Follow BBC Nottingham on Facebook, on X, or on Instagram. Send your story ideas to [email protected] or via WhatsApp on 0808 100 2210.