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A Christchurch church bell that has been tolling every Sunday morning for 50 years has been silenced after a complaint from a neighbour.
St Christopher's Church in Avonhead used to ring its bell for 33 seconds at 7.45am each week. The 33 rings symbolised each year of the life of Jesus.
Archdeacon Mike Hawke told The Press newspaper he was stunned by the complaint.
"This church has been here for 50 years. When people come to live here, they need to be aware of what is around them," he said.
"Do we tell children to stop yelling in the playground because someone bought a house next to a school?"
Christchurch City Council investigated the complaint and found the bell exceeded the noise provisions by 11.3 decibels. It measured 86.3 decibels.
Mr Hawke said that out of respect for the gentle way the council handled the situation he had decided to stop ringing the early morning bell.
"I've done it with a sense of sadness, but technically we are breaking the law. The law is an ass sometimes," he said.
- NZPA
