London has been named one of the noisiest cities in the UK, with nearly half of residents believing their hearing has worsened due to urban noise, new research shows.
The capital came tenth in a poll conducted by Specsavers, who surveyed over 2,000 people living in UK cities. Birmingham topped the list as the loudest, followed by Bradford and Liverpool. Other cities in the top ten included Cardiff, Coventry, Leeds, Newcastle, Derby, and Nottingham.
In London, 48% of those surveyed said their surroundings have become louder over the past five years, while over half (56%) reported being disrupted by noise at least once a week. Key sources of disturbance included traffic (48%), construction work (34%), noisy neighbours (33%), and emergency sirens (26%). Aircraft noise and nightlife were also cited.
The data also revealed that 41% of Londoners believe their ability to hear has been affected by city noise, with 38% struggling to follow conversations and 28% saying they feel less engaged in social situations.
The findings are part of a campaign by Specsavers – temporarily rebranded as ‘Specsandhearingsavers’ – to encourage more people to get their hearing checked.
The company submitted Freedom of Information requests to investigate the volume of noise complaints across the UK. In London, boroughs collectively logged an estimated 440,000 complaints since 2020, with Islington and Kensington and Chelsea each recording more than 60,000.
Although Harrow was not mentioned specifically in the data, the figures highlight how widespread the impact of city noise can be across all parts of London, including outer boroughs.
Sonam Sehemby, a hearing expert at Specsavers, said: “Living in a noisy city can be exhausting – from relentless traffic and sirens to never-ending construction work. The constant noise makes it harder to focus and follow a conversation, often leaving people feeling socially withdrawn and disconnected.
“It’s become clear from our research that we are living in a world with more background noise than ever, which can make it a struggle to hear or follow conversation.
“A common misconception is that hearing checks are only for those who have completely lost their hearing. But, if you’re finding that you’re missing parts of conversations or just catch the gist, you’ll probably also benefit from a hearing check, which can be easily done on the high street. Despite our name, we are hearing experts too and have been for 20 years.”
TV personality Paul Chuckle also took part in the campaign, having a hearing test himself and overseeing the fitting of a giant ‘Specsandhearingsavers’ sign at the brand’s Windsor store.
Paul said: “I’ve never paid much attention to my hearing so was surprised to discover I have some hearing loss. But it does explain why I’ve been struggling to follow conversations and saying ‘what’ a lot more. Now I know I can do something about it!”
Specsavers is urging anyone who has concerns about their hearing to visit their local store or go to specsavers.co.uk/hearing.
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