As summer is almost upon us, so again is the annual nuisance of ice cream van chimes. Is it just me, or are they a) too loud, b) played for too long and c) played too frequently? (How many times can you hear Greensleeves without going completely bonkers?!)
In fact the answer to these questions (apart from the last one) is: a) no more than 80 decibels b) no more than 12 seconds c) with a minimum of a 2 minute gap between each peal and not be played more often than once every 2 hours in a particular street. Also not after 7p.m. (I'm writing this at 7.30 p.m listening to two separate vans who have been circling the same streets in the last hour, chiming away, so that's two regulation broken already).
Source: https://www.gov.uk/government/publicatio...van-chimes
I for one think they blight summer afternoon and evenings. Harrrrumph!
And apparently this is all deliberate - read this and weep: http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/...ish-summer
I'm not a parent, perhaps parents think differently?
Interesting(ish) local ice cream van fact: Francis Rossi out of Status Quo's dad was an ice-cream van man in Catford and Forest Hill. As a nipper I recall seeing the Rossi van in SE23.