Conwy's St Mary's Church clock keeps vicar awake at night

BBC The clock stands at the top of the 12th Century St Mary's churchBBC
The clock stands at the top of the 12th Century St Mary's Church

The chimes from a church clock could be turned off at night following a request from its own vicar.

Rev David Parry has written to the town council in Conwy because the clock at St Mary's Church chimes every 15 minutes at night, keeping him awake.

The vicar, who lives next to it, said it could keep others awake and disturb tourists staying in the town.

The council, which owns the clock, has written to people living in the walled town to get their thoughts.

It has asked if they feel the chimes ringing between 00:15 and 06:15 are "part of our town's character and tradition", or "annoying and unnecessary".

Mr Parry said: "I'm not suggesting that the clock chimes should be stopped during the day, I've only asked the town council if they can look at silencing them during the night.

"It's good that the town council is consulting on the matter. There could be visitors in the hotels and holiday properties nearby who are disturbed by the noise of the chimes.

"While I have raised the issue, I've not made an official complaint under noise nuisance legislation."

Councillor Emma Leighton-Jones said the authority would make a decision "in the near future".

"We've had a substantial number of responses to the questionnaire, but we're keen for people to tell us their opinions if they can hear the clock where they live," she added.