Chime scene investigation! Ice cream van firm gets banned from street for sounding jingles ‘excessively’
- Lamarti’s Ice Cream vans can no longer serve from a street in Lowestoft, Suffolk
- Resident said the van played its jingle for more than 20 seconds in April and June
- But business owner Mohamed Larmarti claimed the chimes last seven seconds
They are known for their distinctive tune – but an ice cream van firm has been banned from a street for playing its chimes ‘excessively’.
Lamarti’s Ice Cream vans can no longer serve there after a member of the public reported its jingle played for more than 20 seconds. The statutory limit is 12 seconds.
But Mohamed Lamarti, owner of the 44-year-old business, claimed the chimes last just seven seconds.
A resident said the van played the sound ‘excessively’ on the street during April and June, a council licensing meeting heard.
East Suffolk Council spared the family business its street trading licence as long as it avoids the street in Lowestoft and abides by the code of practice on ice cream van chimes.
Lamarti’s Ice Cream vans can no longer service from a street in Lowestoft, Suffolk, after a member of the public reported its jingle played for more than 20 seconds. The statutory limit is 12 seconds
Reacting to the ruling, 66-year-old Mr Lamarti said: ‘We just want to sell ice cream and earn a living. We don’t want to upset anybody.’
He added: ‘We don’t play chimes when stationary. We’ve been doing this for forty years.
‘While in the van it would annoy me and not just the people if we chimed when stationary… (This) has taken away my freedom to work after struggling to survive during the pandemic.’
Mr Lamarti said he will not counter the ruling, but vowed to continue selling ice creams to residents.
He added: ‘We’ll leave it at that now, to keep the peace.
‘People on that road can look on our website and we will go straight to their house… It makes me sad for the people that live on that street. There are families there, they have children and they want ice cream.’
The firm now operates 12 vans which sell specially-made ice cream around Great Yarmouth, Norfolk
Mr Lamarti founded the ice cream company in 1980 after he finished working as a circus acrobat having been a member of Gerry Cottle’s famous circus troupe.
The firm now operates 12 vans which sell specially-made ice cream around Great Yarmouth, Norfolk.
Ice cream vendors cannot sound chimes for longer than 12 seconds at a time or more often than once every two minutes, according to the Code of Practice on Noise from Ice Cream Van Chimes
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