Hundreds of nuisance complaints were made to each of West Dorset and Weymouth and Portland councils over 2016/17.

Over the 12-month period, West Dorset District Council saw an increase in complaints from 967 in 2015-16 to 995 in 2016-17.

However, Weymouth and Portland Borough Council saw a decrease from 856 statutory nuisance complaints in 2015-16 to 831 in 2016-17.

Bucking the national and regional trend, there was also a decrease in the number of statutory nuisance complaints made to Bournemouth council from 1,354 to 1,271 and North Dorset District Council also saw complaints decrease, from 286 to 248.

Christchurch and East Dorset councils reported the largest increase, with complaints climbing from 1,009 in 2015/16 to 1,257 the following year.

Purbeck District Council did not provide a response to the requests when asked.

Across all councils, the biggest reason for complaints was noise.

The figures have been made public following research from Churchill Home Insurance after it sent Freedom of Information requests to councils across the country.

Martin Scott, head of Churchill home insurance, said: “It is a worrying indictment of modern society that so many people are failing to take responsibility for their communities, keeping noise and other disturbances to a minimum.

“Living next to a poorly maintained property, or loud and disruptive neighbours, can not only be a harrowing ordeal but could also affect the long-term value of your home if you were to look to sell.

“Council enforcement of environmental regulations is crucial to ensure the actions of inconsiderate individuals don’t blight the lives of others.

“Living next to a noisy neighbour can be extremely debilitating and have a serious impact on the mental well-being of the victim.”

Across the south west, more than 47,000 complaints were made to councils between August 1, 2016 and July 31, 2017. More than half (58 per cent) were complaints about noise issues with the second-highest type of complaint for air pollution (11 per cent).

Nationally, almost 600,000 complaints were made over the year.