Matrix boss on nine noise charges
THE boss of Reading superclub The Matrix appeared in court yesterday facing nine charges after neighbours complained they couldn't sleep over the rhythmic bass noise.
Three witnesses appeared before District Judge Stephen Day at Reading Magistrates' Court, saying the weekend noise last summer stopped them from sleeping and forced them to put on music or turn up the television to drown the noise.
Richard Byard, general manager of the London Street club, denies nine charges of breaching his public entertainment licence by causing a noise
nuisance, brought after a five-month investigation by Reading Borough Council.
Simon Blackford, prosecuting, said after the council received complaints in June last year its senior technical officer, Simon Renton, took noise readings He said the results showed noise in the streets was 17 decibels higher than the
acceptable level, while levels inside the club were between 10 and 15 decibels too high.
Mr Blackford said "Broadly speaking, an increase of 10 decibels is a doubling of the sound the hearer perceives.
"So 17 is something like triple the acceptable level of the sound according to those criteria."
Homeowners Mark Easthope, Michael Strong and Jo Thomas said they had been disturbed in June and July last year.
Mr Easthope, of Marie Davis Court, in East Street, said he had been kept awake on half a dozen occasions by the music, and claimed the bass was causing ducting in the flats to vibrate.
Under cross-examination, he admitted that last November he had told Reading Borough Council that he did not mind the weekend noise.
Postman Mr Strong, from Chapel Court, said the club had been a "constant nuisance".
He said one night "I had to turn up the TV set to hear that. I think I was up to 4am with the sound of the music". The case continues.