Keep QUIET for carers! Killjoy council chiefs tell cul-de-sac residents their weekly clapping for NHS workers is a ‘noise nuisance’ after single complaint
- Perry Clark plays three songs through a speaker for a singalong every Thursday
- He plays You’ll Never Walk Alone, and Dame Vera Lynn’s We’ll Meet Again
- The Heathrow worker claims another resident has complained about the noise
- Have you received a noise complaint after clapping for the NHS? Email [email protected]
Residents in a leafy Surrey cul-de-sac claim they have been told to keep the noise down during their weekly clap for NHS workers.
Lead by Perry Clark, the locals in Ashford, Surrey, have been singing along to You’ll Never Walk Alone and We’ll Meet Again, played through a loudspeaker every Thursday evening after clapping for the NHS.
But Heathrow worker Mr Clark claims he has now been asked to pare back the noise following a complaint.
Spelthorne Borough Council said it fully supports ‘clap for carers’ events and have encouraged people to show their support to our key workers across our social media channels.
It said it had a complaint had been received and related to other ongoing noise issues from the property at different times of the day.
The neighbours in Ashford, Surrey, have now received a letter from Spelthorne Borough Council asking them to pare back the noise following a complaint. Pictured, the council offices
Staff from the Royal London Hospital take part in the ‘Clap for our Carers’ campaign
Mr Clark has been sent a letter from Spelthorne Borough Council asking him to ‘deal with’ the ‘loud music’.
The 54-year-old told The Sun: ‘It’s a real slap in the face. I’ve used my speaker since the start of all this and everyone here loves it. We just want a good time.
‘We stand outside and have a singalong as a community for less than half an hour. It means a lot to people during the crisis.’
Gillian West, 77, told The Sun: ‘We’re not sure who complained but it’s a ridiculous thing to do. We’re not having parties or anything. We’re doing the same as everyone else in the country by showing our support. For the council to say to keep it down is wrong.’
Spelthorne Borough Council said the complaint did not relate to the clap for carers but to ‘ongoing noise issues’.
It said the letter was ‘only to advise that a complaint has been received’.
Nursing staff participate in a minutes applause as they look out from a window at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow
This comes after a barman who has been singing to neighbours to lift spirits was told he was too noisy by a local council.
Charlie Reeve has also been performing to raise money for the hospice where his mother Pauline died.
But the 33-year-old was stunned when he got a letter informing him one neighbour had complained.
Mr Reeve, who sings after the Clap of Carers every Thursday night, carried on despite the letter last week.
He performed a string of songs including Stand by Me, by Ben E King, Amy Winehouse hit Valerie and Coldplay’s Fix You.
Mr Reeve was praised by his neighbours in the street in Shanklin on the Isle of Wight.
He also raised £290 for Mountbatten Hospice in Newport where his mother died last year aged 63 from ovarian cancer.
Mr Reeve got the letter from the environmental health department for Isle of Wight Council last Monday. It threatened him with ‘statutory action’ if he carried on.
Charlie Reeve has been performing to raise money for the hospice where his mother Pauline died
Mr Reeve, who sings after the Clap of Carers every Thursday night, has also been asked to stop his performances
It read: ‘A complaint has been received alleging that loud music is being played which is causing a nuisance to neighbours.
‘If there is any substance to this allegation I should be pleased if you would take all practice steps to ensure noise is kept to a minimum.’
Mr Reeve said: ‘I was a bit disheartened by the complaint. I’m just upset that someone couldn’t have come to me and said it was too loud or could you cut it short.
‘But they decided to waste the council’s time as a good few people have enjoyed it. I did it this week and set up a donation page and had a donation bucket for the Mountbatten Hospice.
‘It is where my mum passed away. The NHS is important but I wanted to do it for them too.’
- Have you received a noise complaint after clapping for the NHS? Email [email protected]