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WALTHAMSTOW: Man faces court action over wind chimes

2:50pm Friday 27th January 2012 in Waltham Forest News By Sarah May Hayes

Gordon Littlechild Gordon Littlechild

A MAN has been threatened with court action after refusing to take down wind chimes in his garden.

Gordon Littlechild, 45, received a letter from Waltham Forest Council before Christmas saying neighbours had complained of the noise nuisance coming from his back garden in Gloucester Road, Walthamstow.

The letter said the neighbours were being deprived of sleep due to the chimes’ “continuous jingling”.

It went on to state that it was “good practice to be neighbourly” and said if he did not take down the chimes he could be prosecuted under the Environmental Protection Act.

However, a defiant Mr Littlechild has so far refused to budge, and after two further letters - and a visit from council workers who were sent to listen to the chimes – he now faces a possible court hearing and a potential £5,000 fine.

He told the Guardian: “I seriously thought it was a joke at first. How can the council think that spending the taxpayers’ money on this is OK?

“When two men from the council did turn up and I showed them the wind chimes, I could tell they were trying to suppress a giggle over how ridiculous it all is.

“I feel like I’m being bullied by the council over the most timid of things.”

A spokesman for the council said: "There have been council officers out to measure the noise from the house next door and the wind chimes do breach appropriate noise levels.

"We are not yet at the stage where Mr Littlechild will have to go to court as we have not yet sent him an abatement notice, only warning letters.

"If we decide to send an abatement notice and Mr Littlechild ignores it that is when we would decide whether to take the matter to court or not."

Comments(24)

everoptimistic says...
3:30pm Fri 27 Jan 12

Try getting the council to do anything about neighbours playing loud music in the back garden 'til all hours. Wind chimes would be bliss.

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Nairn says...
3:34pm Fri 27 Jan 12

Exactly everoptimistic. So what chance have we got of them doing anything about the noise that will come from the campsite during the Olympics? No chance.

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mdj says...
3:49pm Fri 27 Jan 12

'So what chance have we got of them doing anything about the noise that will come from the campsite during the Olympics?'
Master, I have a cunning plan: just smuggle some wind chimes into the campsite, then ring the Council!

More seriously, it would be interesting to know who at the Council is charge of this: is it the same official who writes pompous letters to businesses accusing them of dumping rubbish, and then 'summons' them to interview at the Town Hall under legal powers that he does not possess?

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averagejoe211 says...
4:26pm Fri 27 Jan 12

So basically Mr Littlechild doesn't want to be neighbourly and is also content for taxpayers money to be wasted because he doesn't want to take down a set of windchimes.

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ajay567 says...
7:00pm Fri 27 Jan 12

Stick too your guns and tell the
Council to get stuffed.

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Bentley005 says...
7:21pm Fri 27 Jan 12

Come on everybody.The chimes are not in your back yard.Everybody deserves a good nights sleep. I actually like wind chimes but not at 4.00 in the morning!

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The Stowaway says...
8:19pm Fri 27 Jan 12

Unfortunately Mr Littlechild appears to be wanting to make a point when in actual fact there is no point to make, hopefully the £5,000 fine will help explain to him the difference between common courtesy and that of arrogance.

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Redfox says...
11:50pm Fri 27 Jan 12

I notice reference to "that pompous council officer" could this be the head of Enforcement who does SFA about cafes down the High Street blocking pedestrian pathways outside their shop fronts - when they don't possess frontage rights? Could it also be the same pompous officer who permits people from other non english cultures who feed the pigeons at the Town Square plinth - in full view of a CCTV camera?
When was the last person, ANY person prosecuted for such an offence?

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justsaying2000 says...
11:55am Sat 28 Jan 12

id rather listen to a wind chime instead of a loud steroe like our neighbours do it goes ding dong

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who-me says...
12:26pm Sat 28 Jan 12

shops cafes and other commercial premises not being brought to book ? is this a case of " the little brown envelope "? does make one wonder

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Nairn says...
2:27pm Sat 28 Jan 12

mjd

Like your cunning plan!!

Not sure who sends those letters out but yes I think it is the same person at the council. Could name him here but as I may not be correct am keeping quiet ;)

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Nairn says...
2:28pm Sat 28 Jan 12

mjd

Like your cunning plan!!

Not sure who sends those letters out but yes I think it is the same person at the council. Could name him here but as I may not be correct am keeping quiet ;)

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spiknspan says...
7:10pm Sat 28 Jan 12

Can something be done about the foxes making their noise and mess. I'd rather have bell chimes.

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Helen, Walthamstow says...
3:03pm Sun 29 Jan 12

One of our neighbours put up wind chimes. My other half couldn't hear them because they were quite high-pitched but they drove me up the wall, especially at night.

It ended happily however. The constant noise also drove the neighbour up the wall and she took the chimes down!

I'm with the complainant, not with the inconsiderate Mr Littlechild - nor with the reporter who has editorialised this story in an unacceptable way.

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Sam Hain says...
2:42pm Mon 30 Jan 12

Bentley005 wrote:
Come on everybody.The chimes are not in your back yard.Everybody deserves a good nights sleep. I actually like wind chimes but not at 4.00 in the morning!
Well said, Bentley005. I actually don't like windchimes but I agree with your sentiments. I think the definition of noise is unwanted sound - and there's far too much of that in our lives as it is, over which we seem to have little or no control.

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Englishman in the USA says...
3:54pm Tue 31 Jan 12

I emigrated To the States from Chingford 3 years ago. One thing we have here is the FREEDOM. I have windchimes all around my house and nobody complains. I used to complain about the noise from my Neighbours house 2 and 3 in the morning with the heavy rock music. The Police and the Council didn't want to know, But now, OMG you put windchimes up all hell breaks lose. Come on people Live and let live.

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fabster says...
7:50pm Tue 31 Jan 12

"Good practice to be neighbourly"

Will someone at the Council please tell Councillor Liaquat Ali to be neighbourly too?

What with years of noise complaints which the Council won't enforce, and most recently the illegal wall of lights which shine into neighbours's homes. The Council has once again said it won't be investigating Cllr Liaquat Ali's wall which even he himself has admitted to not having planning permission for.

If I were Mr Littlechild, pay a visit to 87 Northcote Road, take note of the Senior Councillor/Ex-Mayor'
s 3 houses which have no planning permission for his front boundary wall. Take photos & when in court. Expose the Council for it's 'selective' prosecution policy!

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peaceandquiet says...
2:13pm Thu 2 Feb 12

Easy to belittle the nuisance caused by windchimes by comparing them with something even worse. But they can be very, very irritating, especially at night. They can be used as a weapon! This neighbour sounds like an arrogant ignoramus to me, the sort who thinks he is above the law and has no regard for his neighbour's feelings.

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Englishman in the USA says...
3:31pm Thu 2 Feb 12

Once upon a time England, My England was a free country but it's people like you (peaceandquiet) that ruined This country. Do you complain when there is loud music late at night. or Loud Car steros. You said that wind chimes can be used as weapons...I would dearly like to see a weapon made from a wind chime

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peaceandquiet says...
9:46pm Thu 2 Feb 12

Yes I do complain about loud noise if it annoys me. Freedom is not absolute. One man's freedom is another man's nuisance. I was using the word 'weapon' metaphorically - please don't be so literal-minded. England hasn't been ruined. And if you're in USA you shouldn't refer to England as 'this' country. You seem to be a bit mixed up in all sorts of ways!

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peaceandquiet says...
9:52pm Thu 2 Feb 12

Also you shouldn't refer to England as 'My England' if you've abandoned it. It's not yours any more. I still live here. I think it's a great country in spite of all its problems. And because I live here and pay my taxes, I have a right to comment and I have a right to complain if I want to. That's Freedom of Speech!

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Nairn says...
9:54pm Thu 2 Feb 12

FABULOUS comments peaceandquiet ;)

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justsaying2000 says...
7:29am Fri 3 Feb 12

we can see these from our house and there small broken and barely make a noise in the strongest wind we dont see what the problem is ?????????

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Englishman in the USA says...
3:54pm Fri 3 Feb 12

And why is ENGLAND not My England. I still hold a British passport, I still pay Taxes there. I was born in Chingford and lived there all my life (60+ years) I was a London Bus driver for 23 years. and I saw first hand ho MY ENLAND is going down the Pan...If only you knew England is the Laughing stock of the Whole world. When you see this news article about Wind Chimes and you say that "they can be used as a weapon" laughable. I think I have made my point.

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