Chimes Chimes Chimes

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Is there a certain cut off time, by law, for Ice Cream Vans to stop playing their chimes?

[Buenchico]

9pm

http://www.statutelaw.gov.uk/content.aspx?LegT ype=All+Legislation&title=pollution&Year=1974& searchEnacted=0&extentMatchOnly=0&confersPower =0&blanketAmendment=0&sortAlpha=0&TYPE=QS&Page Number=1&NavFrom=0&parentActiveTextDocId=43775 8&ActiveTextDocId=437875&filesize=14104

Chris

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Thanks for that Chris, do you know in the off chance who to complain to as we still get them playing their chimes later than 9, like now and sometimes after 10pm.

[Buenchico]

Thanks for the reply.

As well as the legislation I've linked to above, noise pollution is also dealt with by the Environmental Protection Act 1990. The responsibility for enforcing that legislation normally falls to the Environmental Health section of your local council. (Unless you live in an area covered by a 'unitary' or 'metropolitan' council, that will be your district council, not the county one).

The police would normally be too busy to do anything (even if you could convince them that they ought to) if you phoned them when the problem was actually occurring. However many areas are now patrolled by local community constables (who are often looking for anything useful to do). You might find that your community constable would be happy to 'have a word with' the owners of the relevant ice cream company (even though it might not really be part of his or her job).

Chris

[kempie]

Is it not the case that S.3 with reference to S.1(b) limits the use of Ice Cream Van chimes to between noon and 7 pm?

The 1982 "Code of Practice on Noise from Ice-Cream Van Chimes etc." has a 7 pm cut-off along with a 4 second chime duration. Defra reviewed the Code of Practice and published a report in 2005 which noted representations from the Ice-Cream Alliance that the 7 pm cut-off time could be extended to 8 pm in spring and summer, and that the maximum duration specified for sounding the chimes could be increased to 8 seconds.

http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/noise/rese arch/minimising-noise/cop-minimisingnoise.pdf

[Buenchico]

Thanks for your contribution, Kempie.

Back in the 1950s and 60s, when I was growing up, my parents always stated that it was illegal for ice cream vans to sound their chimes after 7pm. (I have no idea whether this was based upon my parents' knowledge of national laws, local byelaws, or simply 'what they'd been told'). When I searched for the relevant legislation, I was fully expecting to find confirmation of the 7pm cut-off, and I was surprised that the only statutory requirement I could find related to 9pm.

It's interesting to note that your link goes to a 'Code of Practice', rather than to any specific legislation. Perhaps that code is akin to the Highway Code, in that it has no direct legal standing but it can be referred to when determining whether an offence might have been committed?

Chris

[kempie]

The sections I referenced are from the legislation in your link Chris.

[kempie]

... and they be subsections, which probably adds further to the confusion I caused.

[kempie]

For further clarification...

http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=ice-cream+chi me+noon+7pm