The European Court of Human Rights has for the first time ruled against a signatory country for violating rights by failing to take action to protect a claimant from noise pollution. The claimant from Spain was awarded € 3,884 damages for violation of her rights under Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights (right to respect for private life and home) after suffering noise from bars and discos near her home over a 25-year period. Excessive noise has never previously been found to be the cause of a violation of Article 8 of the Convention.