With houses flying off the market, online mortgage comparison and financial informational site Bankrate UK, a group of developers, financial journalists, UX designers and engineers with a really big idea – to make home-buying easy, has delved into official council data to find out where the country’s worst neighbours live based on noise complaints.

Armed with FOI (Freedom of Information) requests from 75 councils across the UK, Bankrate has revealed some of the biggest neighbour grievances and where in the UK these noisy neighbours live.

Looking at the music, DIY and dog noise complaints each council received over the last three years, and working out how many complaints this equates to per 50,000 residents, the mortgage comparison experts have been able to find the top 10 most raucous neighbourhoods in the country, and of course the most harmonious. And the results might surprise you.

The 10 noisiest neighbourhoods:

The 10 most harmonious neighbourhoods:

A full breakdown of the noisy neighbours per complaint can be found at: https://www.bankrate.com/uk/mortgages/neighbour-complaints

Former The Only Way Is Essex star Mick Norcross has died. The businessman and father of Kirk Norcross, who also starred in the ITV show, was found dead at his home in Bulphan.

Essex Police said the death was not being treated as suspicious. In tributes on social media, fellow Towie stars past and present, including Gemma Collins and James Argent, called him "one of the good guys" and a "true gentleman".

Norcross first appeared in the reality show in 2011 in his position as owner of Sugar Hut, a Brentwood nightclub which was often attended by the cast. He left the show two years later, stating that the venue's prominent place in Towie had damaged its brand.

The star posted a tweet to his 505,000 followers saying: "At the end remind yourself that you did the best you could. And that's good enough." The club tweeted that "Mr Sugarhut" had been a "very talented, friendly and fun guy" and a "true Essex legend, who will be sorely missed".

Collins, who briefly dated Norcross during their time on the show, shared a photo of them together on Instagram and said he had been "one of the good guys", while Argent tweeted that he had been "a true gentleman and a very kind man".

Tributes were also shared by Towie stars Lauren Goodger and Mario Falcone, with the latter tweeting that he was "thankful I got the privilege of having you in my life". TV chef James Martin, Loose Women's Denise Welch, presenter Denise Van Outen and film producer Jonathan Sothcott also paid tribute to him online.

An Essex Police spokesman said officers "were called to an address in Brentwood Road, Bulphan" and "sadly, a man inside was pronounced dead". The police spokesman said the death was "not being treated as suspicious and a file will be prepared for the coroner".

He was 57.

Tomorrow’s Holocaust Memorial Day will be commemorated in Sandwell by the laying of wreaths of daffodils in the memorial garden at Highfields Register Office, West Bromwich.

Council buildings – Highfields and Sandwell Council House in Oldbury will be lit purple; the colour adopted by the Holocaust Memorial Trust, from 3.30pm onwards. Those attending the online Full Council will mark Holocaust Memorial Day, with a moment of silent reflection at the start of the meeting, led by the Mayor, Councillor Dr Ann Jaron. The theme for this year is: Be the Light in the Darkness.

Sandwell Mayor, Councillor Dr Ann Jaron, who will be releasing a special video message, urged people to mark the day safely at home. Cllr Jaron, whose own Polish grandfather was murdered in Auschwitz concentration camp, said: "Because of the current COVID-19 restrictions, we are unable to hold our annual commemoration ceremony. 

"A member of staff from Highfields will lay a wreath in memory of those murdered and to stand against prejudice and hate.  We will also be lighting up Highfields and Sandwell Council House to pay tribute to those who lost their lives.” The Mayor also added, "People can mark the day at home by lighting a candle at 8pm, reflecting the theme of this year's Holocaust Memorial Day - Be the Light in the Darkness."

A wreath will also be laid by Highfields staff on behalf of the West Midlands Lieutenancy.

Daffodils represent the yellow stars that Jews were forced to wear during the Holocaust and symbolise both remembrance and resilience, and were used in the Daffodil project 2015, commemorating Holocaust Memorial.

The UK Holocaust Memorial Day 2021 ceremony will be streamed online from 7pm- 8pm tomorrow (January 27) and households are urged to light a candle and safely display it in their window at 8pm.

Four charities based in the West Midlands have won a £1,000 Christmas gift thanks to nominations from the public. The charities were nominated to win a share of £120,000 as part of specialist insurer Ecclesiastical's annual 12 days of giving Christmas campaign.

University Hospitals Birmingham Charity, which provides anything that is ‘over and above’ what the NHS offers; whether that be equipment, facilities, research or welfare for staff and patients, and the Birmingham Dogs Home, which focuses on animal welfare in the Midlands (see notes for full list¹), are among the local charities set to benefit from the money following overwhelming public support in the area.

10,005 West Midlands residents nominated a cause close to their hearts, with 102 charitable causes in the area receiving votes. The 120 winning charities across the UK were picked at random from those nominated. The full list of the 120 charity winners is available to view online at: www.movementforgood.com/12days

Thanking supporters in the West Midlands, Mark Hews, Group CEO at Ecclesiastical, said: “Owned by a charity, here at Ecclesiastical our core purpose is to contribute to the greater good of society, so charitable giving is at the heart of our business. We know that £1,000 can make a huge difference to the incredible work that charities do, and we’re looking forward to seeing how this financial boost will change lives for the better.

“We hope these donations can bring a positive end to a difficult year and a promising start to 2021.”

A representative from University Hospitals Birmingham Charity said: “The donation went towards our Christmas Appeal to fund hampers for staff and patients, trees around our hospitals, toys for children and activities for elderly patients. Last year was especially difficult in our hospitals. Staff have been working tremendously hard throughout the new and unfamiliar conditions and ultimately they are scared to go to work.

“There were approximately 1000 patients who spent Christmas in hospital and over 20,000 members of staff who worked over Christmas period. The donation helped us make Christmas in our hospitals that little bit more special!”

Last year, Ecclesiastical launched its latest Impact Report to celebrate some of the many good causes it has helped.

Larry King, giant of US broadcasting who achieved worldwide fame for interviewing political leaders and celebrities, has died.

King conducted an estimated 50,000 interviews in his six-decade career, which included 25 years as host of the popular CNN talk show Larry King Live. He died at Cedars-Sinai Medical Centre in Los Angeles, according to Ora Media, a production company he co-founded.

Earlier this month, he was treated in hospital for Covid-19, US media say. The talk show host, famous for his braces and rolled-up sleeves, had faced several health problems in recent years, including heart attacks.

King was married eight times to seven women and had five children. Two of them died last year within weeks of each other - daughter Chaia died from lung cancer and son Andy of a heart attack. He carried out interviews with every sitting US president from Gerald Ford to Barack Obama and a number of world leaders. His other high-profile guests included Dr Martin Luther King, the Dalai Lama, Nelson Mandela and Lady Gaga.

"For 63 years and across the platforms of radio, television and digital media, Larry's many thousands of interviews, awards, and global acclaim stand as a testament to his unique and lasting talent as a broadcaster," Ora Media said in a statement, without giving the cause of death.

Born Lawrence Harvey Zeiger in Brooklyn, New York, in 1933, King rose to fame in the 1970s with his radio programme The Larry King Show, on the commercial network Mutual Broadcasting System. In 1985 he launched Larry King Live on the fledgling CNN, and became one of the network's biggest stars. The programme, broadcast around the world, was a success with audiences, with King answering thousands of phone calls from viewers.

He earned a number of honours, including two Peabody awards, but was also criticised for his non-confrontational approach and open-ended questions. King boasted of not doing much research for the interviews so, he said, he could learn along with viewers.

By 2010 his ratings had dropped significantly, with critics saying King's approach felt out-dated in an era of more aggressive interviewing styles. King then announced his retirement, saying: "It's time to hang up my nightly suspenders." In his final programme on CNN, he told his viewers: "I don't know what to say, except to you, my audience, thank you. Instead of goodbye, how about so long?" CNN replaced him with British journalist and broadcaster Piers Morgan, whose programme King criticised for being "too much about him".

Morgan, whose programme was cancelled three years later, said on Twitter on Saturday: "Larry King was a hero of mine until we fell out after I replaced him at CNN & he said my show was 'like watching your mother-in-law go over a cliff in your new Bentley.' (He married 8 times so a mother-in-law expert)." But, Morgan added, King "was a brilliant broadcaster & masterful TV interviewer."

In a statement, CNN president Jeff Zucker said: "The scrappy young man from Brooklyn had a history-making career spanning radio and television. His curiosity about the world propelled his award-winning career in broadcasting, but it was his generosity of spirit that drew the world to him."

Most recently, King hosted another programme, Larry King Now, broadcast on Hulu and RT, Russia's state-controlled international broadcaster. A Kremlin spokesman was quoted as saying by state RIA Novosti news agency: "King repeatedly interviewed Putin. The president has always appreciated his great professionalism and unquestioned journalistic authority."

Outside broadcasting, King founded the Larry King Cardiac Foundation in 1988, a charity which helps to fund heart treatment for those with limited financial means or no medical insurance.

He was 87

Sandwell’s Deputy Council Leader has paid a heartfelt tribute to Tipton Twin, Doris Hobday, following an announcement by her family that she has passed away after losing her battle with Covid-19.

Doris, aged 96, along with her twin and soul mate Lil, had gained a huge national following on radio, television and social media. Her family posted a tribute on Facebook stating Doris had passed away on Tuesday 5 January, after a short stay in hospital. Sister Lil, who was also admitted to hospital, with Covid-19, has been discharged and is now recovering at home.

Known as the Tipton Twins, the pair gained national recognition with their cheeky and humorous appearances on radio and television, as well as starring on the front of the Sandwell Herald. The family thanked staff at Sandwell Hospital and urged people to take the Covid-19 vaccine when it was offered to them.

Deputy Council Leader, Councillor Maria Crompton, said: “Our hearts go out to Lil and all the family. Doris has been such a huge part of their lives and a much-loved iconic character in Sandwell, alongside Lil.

“We will be remembering her and sending all our love to the family. How wonderful – and how typical of this family - that even at this time of loss, they find time to think of other people and take this opportunity to encourage everyone to get vaccinated as soon as they get the chance. 

“Please do take the advice.”

Donations can be made to the Beacon Centre for the Blind, who helped Doris’s husband, Ray, and people are also invited to post their own tributes.