This is another story from the ever growing "you couldn't make it up" list. A market trader from Hampshire has been banned from shouting because his voice is too loud. The aptly named Wayne Bellows has a voice that has been measured at 111 decibels - as loud as a chainsaw - and this has upset some people in the town of Lymington.
If you visit a market you expect someone to be shouting "fresh strawberries, get your fresh strawberries. Only £2 a punnet", or however much they are. You expect traders to compete with each other. For me, it's one of the joys of visiting a market.
The Telegraph reports, though, that some people in Lymington have form. They are too posh for Argos and battled against plans to open up a store there. They then battled against a proposal to open a Wetherspoon's pub. It now appears that they are too delicate to put up with market traders selling their wares in a traditional way.
Lymington and Pennington Town Council said that market rules ban traders from making a noise nuisance. "The town council has a responsibility to ensure a well-managed market for all and upon receiving complaints, has to deal with them in line with our market regulations, as published on our website."
What a bunch of killjoys.
Photo Credit: Street Market Lymington
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