Thousands of noise complaints have been logged in the north and north-east since the start of last year including calls about washing machines, windchimes and cockerels.
Loud music, barking dogs and DIY were among some of the most common grievances reported by homeowners.
In one bizarre case in June last year, a complaint was received about a tune being played repeatedly through the loudspeaker of a fish van in Scrabster, Caithness.
The latest figures show that 422 complaints were received across the Highlands, with 716 logged in Argyll and Bute, 124 in Shetland and 57 in Orkney.
Another 254 were recorded in Moray, and another 233 were logged in Aberdeenshire but figures did not show complaints for this year.
Numbers in the more urban Aberdeen were much higher with 3,340 noise complaints. Of those, 2,058 were recorded in the central area, 547 in the north of the city and 721 in the south.
An Aberdeen City Council spokesman said: “The central area of the city has double the number of properties than south or north Aberdeen.
“The property types in the central area are predominantly flats or multi-storey, which generate a greater number of noise complaints because more people are affected. For example, one incident in a multi-storey property could generate multiple complaints because of the way in which noise travels up and down levels.”
More than 1,300 complaints in Aberdeen were for loud music, while 247 involved shouting, 135 DIY, 78 for banging doors and 25 complaints were due to vibrating washing machines.
In the Highlands, noise from crowing cockerels was reported on eight occasions – in Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch, Muir of Ord, Lochaber, Ross-shire and twice in Halkirk.
Another resident in Caithness complained about a neighbour’s barking dog and their windchimes, while grievances were also raised about buskers in Inverness High Street and in Ross-shire.
Two complaints were also received about noise coming from a rollercoaster in Carrbridge.
A Highland Council spokeswoman said that in many cases it can be difficult to obtain necessary evidence to establish that a statutory nuisance exists.
She added: “Environmental health officers require to witness the noise and take into account several factors such as the time of day when the noise is creating a problem, the frequency of incidents, the nature of the noise, the location and obviously the actual decibel levels.
“For certain types of complaints, such as barking dogs or crowing cockerels early in the morning, it is often more appropriate and effective for a civil action to be pursued due to the difficulties in establishing that a statutory nuisance exists.”
