2025-09-30 11:56:41

A public library in Somerset has been told to quieten down after a faulty boiler sparked noise complaints.

Taunton Library has been at the centre of a row after neighbours complained of an “annoying” racket caused by its gas boiler, which was installed last year. The noise, described as a “constant drone,” has forced some businesses to keep their doors shut, costing them trade.

Pete Robertson, 47, who runs Zero Waste Shopping opposite the library, told reporters: “During the winter, we had to shut the doors to stop the noise coming in as it was getting really awkward for us to hear customers. Closing the door meant we were missing out on passing trade.”

He said a council consultant confirmed the noise levels were too high but “hadn’t done anything” about it.

Karen Tomkins, 54, owner of Fine Art and Framing on Paul Street, added: “It is a bit of a racket. It is a constant air conditioning noise that is just chucked out. How can they have put something like that in and not known about the amount of noise it made before it was put in?”

Meanwhile, Amanda Herne, 54, a hairdresser at Reds Hair Salon, called it “bloody annoying,” saying: “It is a continuous noise. If we heard it in here with the clients, with what we do, it just would not be acceptable.”

Somerset Council has now granted conditional permission for a replacement stainless steel flue dilution system to resolve the problem.

A spokesperson for the council confirmed: “We have received a number of complaints about noise from the flue system at Taunton Library, and we are working to get this resolved as soon as possible. Consent was granted on 12 September.”

The new system, they added, will “not cause unacceptable harm” to the building’s appearance or the local street scene.

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