OWNERS of noisy burglar alarms, which disturb the neighbours, could find themselves out of pocket.

Malvern Hills District Council is introducing a charge which is payable if it is called out to deal with intrusive alarms.

Residents whose alarms go off when they are away from home could face a bill of more than £100 if the sound does not cut off automatically after 20 minutes.

Environmental health officer Malcolm Robinson said that paying for alarm engineers to cut off systems was very costly and people would also be paying for the council's time as it had to arrange the call-outs.

Homeowners will also face the expense of paying for the alarm to be fixed when they return.

Since police had stopped keeping a record of key holders, Mr Robinson said people leaving their properties should leave keys with neighbours who could turn off alarms, if necessary.

Gillian Smith, of Bramble Close, Malvern, had a problem when her neighbour's burglar alarm rang intermittently for two days.

"It was quite disturbing and disorientating," she said. "It's right over the garden fence and we had to keep the back door shut, even in the heat, because it filled the whole house with the noise."

Mrs Smith added that she was even kept awake by the alarm during the night.

"I don't think people should have burglar alarms at all as the police don't respond to them," she continued. Mrs Smith resorted to calling the council's environmental health unit which arranged for the owner of the house to be contacted.

Coun Clive Smith of MHDC said: "If there is an alarm in your house, make sure there is someone around who can switch it off and reset it while you are away."

n More information about burglar alarms and the council's powers to control noise pollution is available on 01684 862305.