Parents in a Lincolnshire village have received noise complaints and been accused of "anti-social behaviour" for calling their children in for tea. Families on Viscount Close in Pinchbeck were sent letters by housing association Amplius warning them to keep the noise down after complaints about children being called home from a communal grass area.
Amplius said it takes noise nuisance seriously and informed residents it "may arrange noise monitoring" in the future. In a letter, it stated: "The report refers to shouting in a communal area, shouting children to come inside following playtime on communal grass area and indicates that it may be occurring at various times, including during the daytime and evening."
Residents react with disbelief
Families in the area have branded the complaint "absolutely crazy" and "ridiculous", insisting the youngsters are simply enjoying the outdoors. Grandmother Susan Coleman said: "The children play out and it's very rare that you get children playing out these days. They're usually bunched up inside playing video games or on their phones. One of my friends got a letter from Amplius to say there had been a complaint about her shouting her children in, which is a bit daft."
The 53-year-old added: "Parents have been shouting their kids in for their tea or to get ready for bed for ever. Why is this a problem now?" She noted the grass area where children play is only 20ft from people's front doors, so they are not very loud when they shout.
"It's absolutely crazy that they'd get a complaint put in for this. We don't know who has complained. Amplius has said they've sent letters to everyone. The children make more noise than any adults, but they're just playing and it's the sound of summer. To moan about parents calling for their children to come in is barmy," she continued.
Parents defend normal family life
Mum Natasha Saggs, 38, whose daughter uses the communal area, said being called in for dinner was a normal part of family life. She told the BBC: "We get complaints if children are on social media too much and they're gaming inside and they're on their tablets. Being called in for dinner is a normal daily thing to do."
Dad-of-two James, 38, said the 'tea time' calls usually came at around 6pm but did not bother the vast majority of residents. "We hear parents shouting their kids in occasionally, but it's barely anything and certainly doesn't warrant a noise complaint. All the kids are primary school age and like to play on the grass and the hot weather means they can play out for longer. Mums might shout their children that the tea's on the table but it's not like they're screaming or swearing at them. As to who's complained, who knows. Someone clearly has, they obviously hate kids. We think it's absolutely ridiculous."
Resident Rick Gay, whose partner's children regularly play outside, was equally baffled. "You're entitled to shout your children in. It's probably only at teatime if you do hear them. Whoever's complained needs to give their head a wobble."
Housing association response
Amplius, which manages more than 40,000 homes, said the noise complaint fell within their "anti-social behaviour" policy. A spokesperson said: "We take reports of noise nuisance seriously and want to create peaceful communities for our customers. We've received a complaint of noise nuisance in relation to two separate properties on Viscount Close in Pinchbeck. We've written to our customers who live in the relevant homes and have managed to speak to one of them about the allegations."
They added: "As per our Anti-social Behaviour and Neighbourhood Management policy, complainants will be offered the use of The Noise app to help capture any evidence of noise nuisance. No conclusions have been reached, and we'll assess any evidence that may be submitted. We'll also remain in contact with all relevant customers to keep them updated about the progress of the case."
