residents in areas which have suddenly become concert stadiums. What concerns us is the gross hypocrisy which applies to all of the noise laws. Bermuda seems to apply the law to individuals but to totally ignore the law when concerts are held.

As examples, residents of the Frog Lane area complained a good deal about excessive concert noise and Government was not very sympathetic. In the Frog Lane area a sports field has been used to accommodate concerts which seem literally to have driven people from their homes. A very similar thing was true in St. George's where a wharf turned into a concert venue and the music blasted residents until after 2 a.m. despite organisers agreeing to stop at midnight. We think that residents in these areas expect the normal functioning of the areas, be it a sports field or a dock, but they do not expect "concerts'' which last until 2 a.m. and drive them from their homes.

Residents can do nothing. Their complaints are ignored because organisers of these events are given grace to break every noise law on the statute books.

Because organisers can apparently be granted permission to break the law, the Police will do nothing. In fact, by being present at concerts to park cars, the Police appear to condone noisy concerts breaking the law.

The hypocrisy over noise laws arises because charges are brought against individuals for excessive noise. There have been recent reports in this newspaper of a woman who was charged with excessive recorded music at her daughter's party and it was stated that the noise stopped at 11 p.m.

Concerts have gone on until after 2 a.m.

In yesterday's newspaper there was a report of a man fined $350 because a stereo could be heard more than 100 feet away from the source. The Frog Lane concert could be heard in Paget and the St. George's concert could be heard in St. David's.

We are not opposed to these concerts. We recognise that a great many people enjoy them and that they provide summer entertainment. We have no problem with any of that.

We do have a problem with neighbourhoods which are not normally concert venues being disturbed by a huge volume of noise. There are areas where concerts can be held with minimum disruption but they are not used. There has to be more consideration for residents when these events are planned. They should be held but they can be held with less disruption.

There also has to be clarification of the law. The law as it applies to noise is very strict. It seems to have been enacted because of neighbourhood complaints, largely in the summer, over noisy neighbours some of whom put their speakers outside. The law was necessary for neighbourhood peace and quiet in a small country.

Basically the law says that in daylight hours noise should not be heard more than 100 feet from the source. At night it should not be heard at any distance.

It does not seem fair to summons individuals over specific noise and ignore the complaints of whole neighbourhoods and allow concert organisers to make as much noise as they like with mounds of speakers.