The gist as I read it on Daily Express is that William, a pet cockerel owned by an octogenarian Mr. Philip Sutcliffe and his wife Caroline, was reported to local authorities by an anonymous neighbor who complained that the cockerel's early morning crows disturb. The couple keep the bird with a small number of other chickens on a farmland next to their home.
However, authorities of the Derbyshire Dales District Council were prompted to launch an investigation in which the bird's cock-a-doodle-doos were monitored after receiving a complaint from a grumpy neighbor. This led to the bird being served with a noise abatement notice for anti-social behavior after authorities found William breached health and safety levels.
ASBO, meaning anti-social behavior order, is a court order which can be obtained by local authorities in order to restrict the behavior of a person likely to cause harm or distress to the public.
This led to the couple being told they must either silence the cockerel's early morning crows or give him his marching orders.
So, how would the couple achieve this task of silencing the cockerel from his call of nature? If they fail, they may have to see it shipped off to a new location. I doubt they'd want this to happen.
As the deadline to silence William was approaching and the couple unable to decide what to do, some kind-heart residents launched a petition to save William insisting he's not a nuisance.
"I find it a bit ridiculous that someone would complain about the sound of a cockerel crowing in a rural village." - William Sutcliffe
"The council have served an ASBO on him," said 80 year old Mr Sutcliffe, a retired engineer.
"We have been told we have either got to stop him from crowing before 8am, or get rid of it by this coming Sunday.
"I've tried everything to keep him quiet during the early hours, including keeping him in the dark and in a small space, but it hasn't worked,
"Short of chopping his head off I don't know how I can stop him from crowing."
The district council said it was bound by law to act upon noise complaints.
Daily Express quoted a district council spokesman as saying: "It's not appropriate for the district council to comment on the specifics of an on-going case,
"But it is worth noting that the serving of a noise abatement notice allows for a variety of remedies to take place, including the relocation of the noise source.
"This advice has been clearly communicated by our officers in this case."
Datsoriteee!!! This is confirmed gbege for obodo oyinbo. But, I didn't get one thing clear in this report - is the case going to be the State vs William the cockerel or the State vs the Sutcliffe couple? What happens now that some human rights, abeg I mean animal rights activists have intervened to safe the cockerel?
Photos: Daily Express
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