Music-loving pigs give neighbours sleepless nights

net1

A farmer who plays classical music to lull his pigs to sleep has incurred the wrath of his neighbours - who say they are being kept awake by the noise.

Residents have complained to the local council about the noise created by farmer Raymond Collier, who keeps up to 20 pigs at his farm in Locks Heath, Hampshire.

They have also complained to Fareham Borough Council about the smell which they say wafts from the farm into their homes.

Mr Collier, 63, said that he plays the music to calm his pigs as it cuts down on general background noise which keeps them awake.

But he denied that he played the music at excessive volume.

He said: "It calms them down and it might even make them grow bigger. I have never had any complaints over 33 years but they built these houses 4ft from a working piggery four years ago and it has caused me lots of problems."

A spokeswoman for Fareham Borough Council said that its environmental health officers had visited the site but found the music was not loud enough to constitute a nuisance.

She added that an abatement order had been served on Mr Collier in January this year ordering him to keep manure and slurry levels under control to prevent the smell developing.

The spokeswoman said: "The abatement order was in relation to the odour and not the noise as this is much more the major issue we are dealing with."

She added that the agricultural advice firm, the National Agricultural Advisory Service, had also attended the farm to help Mr Collier and his neighbours overcome the problems.