In the News: When your Ice Cream Screams Too Loudly

Here's a story from England that I can only call 'When your ice cream screams too loudly." It's about an ice cream truck whose music was way too loud and went on too long for one neighborhood that called for cease and desist. It gives a new angle on the saying "we all scream for ice cream." (I couldn't resist). Here's the story from the BBC News:

(Image: Lamarti's ice cream van. Credit: GEOGRAPH/EVELYN SIMAK)

Ice cream van firm banned from Lowestoft street over noise complaint 

BBC News August 17, 2021

An ice cream van operator has been banned from a street over a complaint that one of its vehicles sounded its chimes for too long.

Lamarti's may not enter Ashfield Crescent, Lowestoft, Suffolk, after a member of the public reported its chimes played for more than 20 seconds. Ice cream vans are only allowed to play chimes for a maximum of 12 seconds.

East Suffolk Council said the business could keep its street trading licence under three conditions.

As well as staying away from Ashfield Crescent, it must keep a written record of when and where a vehicle is trading and must abide by the code of practice on ice cream van chimes.

A meeting of the council's licensing sub-committee heard a resident said the Lamarti's van played the chimes "excessively" during April and June at Ashfield Crescent.

The company, operating since 1980 and based at Bradwell, near Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, said its vans played chimes for just seven seconds automatically, and for between 20 to 35 seconds while stationary.

According to the government's Code of Practice on Noise from Ice Cream Van Chimes, they can only be played for up to 12 seconds - and only once when the van is stationary. The committee heard there had also been complaints that the company had operated in areas where it did not have street trading consent.

Owner Mohamed Lamarti's son Omar told the committee that the allegations regarding the chimes were "false". He said: "Our chimes only go on for seven seconds and automatically stop and drivers are trained not to restart the music after they have stopped until they moved on to the next street."