A debate broke out on Good Morning Britain as guests clashed over whether ice cream vans are a noisy nuisance.
Big Brother star Kerry Riches claimed the chimes are ‘sinister’ and ‘creepy’, while Masterchef’s Theo Michaels said they are the ‘tapestry of the British culture.’
The debate comes after an ice cream van owner was threatened with court action over his ‘too noisy’ Blue Peter-style chimes.
Kerry said: ‘I’m not a fan of the ice cream van music, I find it sinister and a bit creepy like a horror film. I don’t like it.
‘An ice cream van used to be a weekend treat, now they are parked outside the school every day. They are there every single night when you are trying to cook dinner and they want an ice cream.
A debate broke out on Good Morning Britain as guests clashed over whether ice cream vans were a noisy nuisance. Masterchef’s Theo Michaels (left) said they are the ‘tapestry of the British culture’
‘My son left school the other day, he got a lemon ice for £5.50. If you’re a family of four you’re not able to all get one for £20, that unacceptable.’
However Theo disagreed saying ice cream vans are a traditional part of British culture.
Theo argued: ‘It’s tapestry of the British culture, we have ice cream vans for 60 years on our streets and the sound permeates. They have to be annoying sounds, you don’t want trendy music. You want annoying sounds that get through the sound of your own kids.
‘When it goes off in our house our kids turn into feral wild cats. “The ice cream van, the ice cream van,”. There is this awe and wonder that I think it amazing.
‘I love the community aspect, it goes off outside our house, all the kids run outside, all the other kids run outside as well, we all get together, there is this collective spirit, it’s a thing of beauty.’
Host Charlotte Hawkins said she had a tip for parents, saying they should tell their children that vans have run out of ice cream when they play the music.
Many viewers took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to leave their own thoughts on the controversial topic.
Oe person said: ‘It’s a British institution. We loved it as kids in the 70s. Even now I love the sound. Where else in the world do they have this?’
Big Brother star Kerry Riches (right) claimed the ice cream chimes are ‘sinister’ and ‘creepy’
Host Charlotte Hawkins said she had a tip for parents, saying they should tell their children that vans have run out of ice cream when they play the music
Many viewers took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to leave their own thoughts on the controversial topic
Another said: ‘As an ex long term night shift worker (NHS) they certainly wake you up!’
Someone else said: ‘The one that comes down our cul-de-sac is too loud.’
Meanwhile a fourth wrote: ‘We’ve never been bothered before. When did we become so soft? Why are we always trying to change things that have been around well for every.’
It comes after John Barton, 33, who runs Harrison’s Ices, based in Lincolnshire, was left stunned when he received a council letter saying they had got complaints about his jingles.
East Lindsey District Council said there had been reports of ‘undue noise’ caused by the ‘misuse/overuse of the chimes’ from his bright pink and white van.
The letter warned him they had a duty to investigate the complaint and he could face possible prosecution at court under the Control of Pollution Act 1974.
The council wrote: ‘It is alleged that when the weather is nice the van is in the area nearly every evening from between 6pm and 7pm.
‘It has been alleged the chimes are overly loud and are used excessively between the above times.
John Barton (pictured), 33, who runs Harrison’s Ices, based in Lincolnshire, was left stunned when he received a council letter saying they had got complaints about his jingles
‘It is alleged the Blue Peter style chimes are sounded too often/frequently and potentially for too long.’
But Mr Barton has claimed he is not breaking any rules and that his vans stick to the required 45 decibel limit when playing their favourite chime in 12 second bursts.
The company has four vans that serve ice cream across the Louth, Grimsby and Cleethorpes areas of Lincolnshire.
The letter sent on April 25 stated the complaints centered around streets in Louth including Eastfield Road, Park Avenue and Chestnut Drive.
Mr Barton says he doesn’t even go down some of those streets and he sounds his distinctive chimes in line with government guidelines.
The 33-year-old, who has been running the company for ten years, said: ‘I have come across some weird things in my time and I have to say this is one of the weirdest.
‘The letter basically told us someone had complained that we play our chimes too loud and are claiming we are breaking the law.
‘They’re not too loud, I can barely hear it in my van – it’s 12 second of music and it’s not in your ear. If I’m in my living room you can’t hear the vans.
‘It really depends on the chime, Just One Cornetto is loud and high pitched.. It’s the Blue Peter chime we use, which isn’t.
‘In the middle of the summer season, you don’t expect to get that sort of complaint.
‘Someone has got too much time on their hands.’
The father-of-three has vowed to continue sounding his chimes around the streets of Louth despite the complaint.
He added: ‘Initially I was annoyed but we’re going to carry on going to Louth. We’ve been doing it for ten years.
‘The street that made the complainant, we don’t even go down that street. I know for a fact you can’t hear mine two or three streets away. In 10 years I’ve never had a complaint about my products.