Houston, we have ignition!
Posted on 01/08/2006 6:30:17 PM PST by sionnsar
A teenager has been told to pipe down by his local council - literally!
Andrew Caulfield, 13, from Paisley in Scotland, was told to keep quiet after his neighbours complained about him playing the bagpipes in his garden.
The council decided to take action after everyone in his street signed a petition to get him to stop.
But his mum, Elaine, is angry, because Andrew is taking part in a scheme run by the same council to encourage kids to take up the traditional instrument.
She accused the council of being "two-faced" because they also wanted him to take part in official events, like Paisley's Santa parade.
But a council spokeswoman said: "We have received several complaints and a petition signed by local residents referring to excessive noise from the outdoor playing of bagpipes.
They tested Andrew's pipes and found they were louder than the accepted limit, she said.
'Frustrating'
The spokeswoman added that this case would not affect other school children who are learning to play the bagpipes, as they would all be given a special type of instrument to take home, which is much quieter.
Andrew has also since switched to a quieter set of pipes, but is still not allowed to play them without his neighbours agreeing to it.
He said "I love piping and not being able to play at home is very frustrating."
My kid plays the drums once or twice a week and sometimes has a few friends over for a jam session.
They play in the garage and are loud. They are only allowed to play between the hours of noon and 7:00PM with total time 2 hours per session.
No complaints from the neighbors yet.
Could you please add me to your Pipes and Drums ping list?
Houston, we have ignition!
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