Interference levels have certainly increased over the years here, and with Britain being such a crowded island (the part that is England especially so), it's becoming more of a problem.
It's no so bad where I live, as this is a comparatively rural area, but in any decent sized town you'll hear no hear of assorted howls, clicks, rasps, and other interference.
Since the 1980s the number of broadcast stations has increased tremendously as local and "Ethnic" stations have sprung up, so after dark reception of all but the strongest local transmitters is often marred by interference.
I read an article a while back about a ham operator who had taken a trip to
Tristan da Cunha , a tiny remote island in the South Atlantic. He was amazed at how the background noise on his receivers was suddenly so quiet again.
