Would it come as a shock to you if we said that Manchester has earned itself a place in the top 10 for towns with the “noisiest neighbours” in the UK?
Is it a title us unspoken Mancunians would wear with pride?
According to new Freedom of Information data obtained by leading insurance comparison website, Confused.com – which looked at how many noise complaints were made in the top 100 most populated places in the country – more than a quarter of a million noise complaints were made to UK councils last year, and Manchester lands at number six on the top 10 list of places where those complaints were lodged, with 6,274 complaints made in total and a rate of 276 complaints per 10,000 households in the region.
The city was beaten to a top five spot by Cambridge, Portsmouth, Bath, Southampton, and probably unsurprisingly coming in at number one, London.
Perhaps more shockingly though is that Manchester was also joined in the top 10 by Stockport.
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The Greater Manchester borough town ranks at number eight on the list, with 253 complaints per 10,000 households.
The UK’s Noisiest Neighbours
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London (158,958)
Southampton (5,147)
Bath (3,288)
Portsmouth (3,490)
Cambridge (1,693)
Manchester (6,274)
Oxford (1,521)
Stockport (3,282)
Luton (2,003)
Brighton (3,182)
The research also revealed that of the some 250,000 noise complaints lodged across the UK within the last year, of those who did complain, more than half (52%) went directly to their neighbour to resolve the issue, 49% got in touch with their local council, and a third (33%) even went as far as reporting their neighbour to the police.
Researchers at Confused.com also conducted a survey of 2,000 Brits to find out what people think about their neighbours and what they are likely to complain about.
The largest source of noise pollution as voted by survey participants was loud music at 50%.
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This was followed by loud parties (43%), raised voices / shouting (29%), barking dogs / excessive animal noise (24%), and television noise (21%).
How about on the other end of the spectrum though?
Well, when it comes to the towns with the quietest neighbours, the sleepy Gloucestershire town of Cheltenham took the top spot, shortly followed by Solihull in second place, and then rounding out the top three is another Greater Manchester representative – Oldham.
There were 615 complaints of noise in Oldham, a rate of just 67 per 10,000 households.
Speaking on the research findings, Jessica Willock – Home Insurance Expert at Confused.com – said: “It’s no fun living in a noisy neighbourhood, and it seems some areas across the UK are a lot worse for noise pollution than others.
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“And living with noisy neighbours can be really difficult to handle without creating tension.
“More often than not, a friendly conversation goes a long way, but when that fails, where to turn to next can be confusing [which is why] we’ve created a guide to understanding basic neighbour etiquette, including how best to handle noisy situations.
“While calling the police might seem like the best route to take, you should in fact be getting in touch with your local council”.
Hordes of people dressed as giant poos run through Manchester for bowel cancer awareness
Danny Jones
If you happened to be in town on Thursday and noticed a bunch of people dressed as giant poos running through the city centre and wondered, ‘What the hell is going on?’, it was this…
We know Manchester has a serious case of the runs, what with the annual Marathon and Great Manchester race, both just around the corner (one literally just next week), but this takes the cake.
On a more heartfelt note, although there is an obvious and innate silliness to this now annual get-together, it’s all for a very important and worthwhile cause.
Uniting for a fourth time, the Pall Mall Medical team (along with a couple of us here at The Manc) are hoping to flush out the stigma and silence surrounding bowel cancer awareness.
Credit: The Manc Group
Starting from Pall Mall’s very own clinic on King St, more than 105 runners laced up their shoes and popped on emoji suits, toilet costumes, daft poo hats and more for a 5k jog around the city centre alongside local run club, Blaze.
They even tried to make the route in the shape of a poo, too.
Why such a specific number, you ask? Well, that’s the exact number of people who are sadly diagnosed with bowel cancer across the North West every single week.
It’s an alarming statistic, but once you pair it with the fact that they make up the rising number of new cases being reported in the country – more than a whopping 41,000 each year – you can see why they’re desperate to get more people talking about the disease.
Moreover, the rate among under 50s has also seen a concerning rise since the 90s, but this also means that the earlier it’s caught, the better people like Pall Mall can help with treatment.
The sooner it’s spotted, the greater the chance of survival, with 90% of those diagnosed at the earliest possible stage surviving for five years or more; that’s why these lot are hoping to better the discourse around bowel-related issues.
Besides offering important scans and blood tests for numerous health conditions, they also boast the dedicated and revolutionary ColoAlert® testing service, which is a German import that’s more accurate (around 85%) and effective than most others here in the UK.
It has quite literally proved to be a life-changing bit of kit for so many, and for Pall Mall’s Dr Chun Tang, this whole initiative has a deep personal connection.
Having sadly lost his father to the illness, as well as his brother being diagnosed with bowel cancer, he knows all too well how important increasing the conversation is – bowel cancer being the second biggest killer in the UK after lung conditions.
Even before you book in a check-up, Dr Tang says it’s simple to spot noteworthy signs at home: “Any blood in the stools, streaks in your poo, on the pan or on the paper; any changes in your digestion such as diarrhoea, constipation and [continued] fatigue, then see your GP or come visit us at Pall Mall.”
Best of all, the money raised with the latest ‘Poo Protest’ all goes towards Bowel Cancer UK, so well done to everyone involved.
For once, we couldn’t be happier to hear so many people talking sh**.
Throughout April, Pall Mall are offering £75 off the ColoAlert® Bowel Cancer stool test, and 20% off the Virtual Colonoscopy in Aprilo. To find out more about the event and book an appointment, you can click right HERE.
Beyond The Music reveals first wave of lineup ahead of inaugural Salford edition
Danny Jones
Greater Manchester arts festival and conference Beyond The Music is back for 2026, but this time it will be heading to MediaCity for a Salford debut.
The long weekender is still a relative newcomer when it comes to the Manc events calendar, but it’s quickly gathered plenty of repute not just in the North West but within the industry as a whole.
Holding just its third edition later this year, Beyond The Music ’26 is set to be the most ambitious yet, spread across the three days and promising an impressive lineup both in terms of live performers, but also speakers, industry experts and wider activities.
With MediaCity and dock10 hosting their inaugural Beyond The Music, it’s another big win for the second city, with Sports Personality of the Year sticking over Salford way for the foreseeable future, along with other events like the Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) Awards moving to the Quayside.
Much of the BBC’s World Cup coverage is also being hosted at their Salfordian studios and main Northern base this summer, too.
Given that so many big annual dates have now made the switch to central Manchester – the BRITs and the MOBOs, just to name two recent examples – you could say it only makes sense to spread things out across the surrounding boroughs and their equally rich heritage.
Not that you should need reminding, but Salford isn’t just part of the region: it’s a city all of its own right that boasts an immense amount of pride over what is nothing short of a sterling musical history.
As for the 2026 Beyond The Music programme, besides both the local artists and more international creatives than ever, there’ll be keynote conversations, industry showcases, and wider networking opportunities for anyone looking to immerse themselves deeper in this world.
Having now dropped the initial wave of this year’s lineup, we know the first 22 artists set to play BTM ’26, including Kofi Stone, our very own Loose Articles, fellow Manchester-based singer-songwriter Ewan Sim and plenty more to get excited about.
Sarah Pearson, Co-founder of Beyond The Music, said in an official statement: “Beyond The Music’s mission is to seize this moment, to come together and drive meaningful and lasting change in the music and content industry.
“It’s undeniable that the impact and importance of music and content are stronger than ever, but this is not reflected in their perceived value.
“The ethical and economic infrastructure of the music and content industries demands urgent attention and bold reform… It is our responsibility to protect creativity in order to ensure it doesn’t just survive but thrives. Things may feel difficult, but they are still possible.”
Mayor Burnham added: “Greater Manchester has always been at the forefront of cultural innovation, and Beyond The Music is a vital opportunity for the sector to come together and address the challenges and opportunities facing music and content creation…
“With its move to MediaCity and a bigger-than-ever programme, Beyond The Music is helping to cement our city region’s place at the centre of the creative economy.” Taking place between 7-9 October 2026, you can register for early bird tickets right HERE.
Mayor Andy Burnham and friends help launch Beyond the Music at MediaCityUK (Credit: Mark Waugh)
Emily Sergeant -
30th March 2021 
