A �50,000 initiative to tackle student noise in Hatfield has been hailed a success.

Welwyn Hatfield Council’s out-of-hours noise service was extended towards the end of the student year, running every night from 10pm to 4am, thanks to a contribution form the University of Hertfordshire.

It saw officers from the council’s environmental health and licensing department attend 74 noise complaints, with seven noise abatement notices handed out.

The money from the uni will also go towards extra refuse and bulk waste collections in areas where students and landlords clear out belongings at the end of the academic year, as well as extra parking attendants dispatched to key problem areas during the first three weeks of the new term in September.

The uni’s dean of students, David Ball, said: “We are pleased that we are effectively addressing residents’ concerns.

“We will continue to review this initiative to ensure that as a community, we focus on improving our neighbourhood.”

Councillor Mandy Perkins, executive member for planning and environmental health said: “I’m pleased the out-of-hours noise service has proved effective.

“By working together we have improved the quality of service offered to residents.”

It is hoped the extended out-of-hours noise service will be repeated again in September, when students return to university.