Couple using hotels for ‘good night’s sleep’ away from noisy flats

Richard Youle, Local Democracy Reporter

A couple say they book into hotels when they can afford to in order to get a good night’s sleep because of noise at their block of flats.

Kirsty Rowlands and Liam Petherbridge from Swansea said they also spent time in their local park or on Swansea beach late at night for some respite – even one time when it was snowing.

They said they moved into the two-bedroom flat in St Helen’s Road in April, 2024, and have experienced constant trouble sleeping because of noise.

It reached the point, they said, that they sold their television because they couldn’t enjoy time in their living room.

They have complained to the landlord – housing association Beacon Cymru – and contacted the Housing Ombudsman Service and one of their local councillors among others.

Beacon Cymru said it couldn’t discuss details of individual cases but said it was investigating a complaint in relation to the matter.

Kirsty, 37, and Liam, 31, said not being able to sleep was terrible and that both of them had suffered breakdowns as a result.

“It just gets unbearable – I can’t live like this anymore,” said Kirsty, who has a number of health conditions and said she’d been under the care of a psychiatrist since moving in. She said letters had been sent on her behalf by her psychiatrist, doctor and two charities, and added: “My GP says it needs to be sorted out.”

She said she’d been prescribed sleeping tablets. “But I still wake up,” she said. “I just don’t know where to turn.”

Liam said: “Everything gets on top of you. You just can’t face that feeling.” He added: “I’ve asked to borrow money from my brother to stay in hotels. I don’t like sleeping in the day – I’d rather sleep at night.”

Liam and Kirsty, who both felt the building’s soundproofing wasn’t sufficient, coupled with the late-night noise, have been in correspondence with Beacon Cymru and have submitted sound recordings via an app.

They would like action to be taken quickly so they can have a better chance of a good night’s rest. Liam, who is Kirsty’s carer, said noise from things like early morning delivery vans outside was “fine”.

They said they’d spent nights in The Dragon Hotel, Delta Hotel and Dolphin SA1 Hotel and also a relative’s house in Felindre.

They said they lived quietly although there was one time when Kirsty said she “stomped” on the floor of their flat while in severe distress.

In a statement, Beacon Cymru said: “We can’t discuss details of individual cases, but we can confirm we have an open complaint in relation to this matter which is being investigated internally. In line with our complaints policy if the resident remains unhappy following the outcomes of the internal investigation, they are able to ask the public services ombudsman to review the complaint.

“Beacon has an anti-social behaviour policy that focuses on tackling, reducing, and preventing nuisance through a restorative, victim-centred approach. It balances enforcement with community support, aiming for timely, reasonable, and proportionate action.”