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(An occasional look at life on the other side of the pond, as reported in the British press).
SO MUCH for calming the soul and repulsing negative energy: Wind chimes are now vying with fast-growing leylandii trees for the title of scourge of Britain's suburbia.
Environmental health officers have reported a surge in complaints about the Eastern-inspired tube, string and pebble devices hung in back gardens.
Critics complain that in a fine breeze they are the aural equivalent of Chinese water torture.
Some sufferers have even mounted nocturnal raids to cut down chimes and end their jangling. Local authorities across Britain have been alerted to the problem.
The chimes have become increasingly popular because of the influence of feng shui, the Chinese design philosophy that attributes positive energy to their tinkling.
Sales in craft shops
have soared and a BBC-TV program, Blue Peter, has shown children how to make
their own.
There are even small, inexpensive chimes that can be worn around the neck. The
manufacturer claims they will let ``your guardian angel descend to earth, delivering
blessings of protection, prosperity and guidance.''
For anybody seeking greater blessings, the selection of chimes include two-metre-long ``megabasses'' crafted from aluminum tubes and the marginally smaller ``church-like'' Big Ben models.
``Unfortunately, they have become very popular,'' says Gisella De Gennaro, an environmental health officer at Waverley district council in Surrey, southern England.
``One of my neighbours had one but took it down after I said I didn' t like it.''
Not all disagreements about chimes have been dealt with so amicably, however.
Last November, retired decorator John Bragg, 66, was ordered to remove wind chimes from outside his terrace cottage in Devon or face a fine (the equivalent of $15,000) after a neighbour complained.
The noise from Bragg's chimes had been measured by council officers using a decibel meter.
``I laughed when I got the first letter and just threw it in the bin,'' says Bragg.
``I only realized the council were serious when I got the second one.''
Bragg has now admitted defeat and removed the two sets of 20-centimetre chimes from his home in Buckfastleigh.
``I thought they sounded beautiful and I really miss them,'' he says.
West Lancashire district council in northwest England has faced complaints in Skelmersdale.
``The neighbours cut down the chimes during the night,'' says Dave Tillerary, the council's environmental health services manager.
``When they went up again, we decided we could take legal action. The owners then agreed they would take them down at night.''
Problems are not confined to private homes. In Northampton, central England, and in Bognor, West Sussex, officials ordered the removal of wind chimes strung up in trees in cemeteries.
``People may associate wind chimes with peace and tranquility, but they can be deeply irritating,'' says Val Weedon, founder of the Noise Network.
``If you are bombarded with noise over which you have no control, it can be very distressing.''
THE LONDON SUNDAY TIMES
CAPTIONS:
ILL WIND: U.K. naysayers call wind chimes the aural equivalent of Chinese water torture.
Jon Ungoed-Thomas, Ask not for whom the wind chimes London Calling. , The Toronto Star, 02-18-2001.
