Lawnmowers definitely make “a hell of a lot of noise” - but should we ban them at certain times of the day?

Breakfast Briefing presenter Shane Beatty is no stranger to early mornings – but he appreciates his weekend lie-ins. 

Yesterday morning, however, he was woken up at 8am to the sound of a lawnmower and strimmer. 

He aired his grievances on Twitter (X) – sparking a huge debate about when people have a ‘right’ to make noises in housing estates. 

Shane told Lunchtime Live countries such as Belgium and Switzerland have a ban on loud noises during specific hours. 

“It depends on your own view of it,” he said. “Other people would think 8am is completely acceptable, others might think 7am is. 

“We had someone in our WhatsApp group recently in the estate who said that they wanted to mow their lawn at 10am and would that be OK.” 

He said Irish people are used to “brutal weather” and some may try to mow whenever they get the chance. 

While he would prefer to keep his weekend mornings quiet, Shane said a ban on noises probably wouldn’t be enforced properly. 

'Day of rest'

Listener David said he has previously lived in countries where Sunday is legally a “day of rest” - banning noises outside.

“I'd even go as far as banning making noise on a Sunday, quite frankly,” he said. 

“The country I'm referring to, I mean, this had kind of twice the population of Ireland, and they managed to do it. 

“It’s neighbourly etiquette I wouldn't want to be woken up on one of my days off... it’s a lawnmower, hell of a lot of noise.” 

German noise bans

Meanwhile, caller Daniel said he has been living in Berlin for 14 years – and the Germans don’t “sit back” and let someone make noise.

German noise regulations require ‘quiet hours’ from 10pm to 6am or 7am every day – and all day on a Sunday.

Rulebreakers can be fined thousands of euros, depending on the level of noise and whether it’s a repeat issue, although Daniel doesn’t know anyone who has ever been charged. 

“If you're making noise after 10pm, the neighbours will complain... I’ve seen the police show up to an apartment block [and had it] cleared,” he said. 

“I've often seen as well in the lifts where if a neighbour was having a party during the week or something like that there, they'd actually put a note up... then it’s kind of accepted.” 

One texter said they live next to a service station where people can hoover their cars at 5am – so people shouldn’t be too angry over a lawnmower at 8am. 

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