Noise is all around us. It is inescapable. Even in the most remote of situations it is hard to find an environment where there is no intrusive noise - perhaps from a plane passing overhead, or the buzz of a forester's chain saw.

So we have to accept noise as part of our daily lives, particularly in towns and cities. We make some noise ourselves and must acknowledge that other people do the same. For most of the time it is an acceptable intrusion.

Most of us have learned to live with the roar of traffic, the hum of overhead wires and power stations, the dawn chorus of birds, the urgent ringing of telephones, or the ever-present background drone of TV, radio and music centres.

In short, we can't have a world without noise, like it or not. That doesn't mean, though that we have to accept a level of noise we find unpleasant or uncomfortable. Everyone has a threshold, and for some it is lower than others.

Working out a reasonable and acceptable noise level is an extremely difficult task but it is beholden on all of us to appreciate that one person's reasonable noise is another's cacophany. In more extreme cases, like that of Shipley council tenant Jack Gott, the distress of noise can cause people to commit suicide.

So the latest initiative by Bradford Council to mark National Noise Action Day by encouraging people to nip the problem in the bud is very welcome. However, if it is to have a real impact every member of every community must show a level of concern and respect for the feelings of their neighbours and those around them.