A church has been forced to silence its bells, described as the 'beating heart' of the town, after a single local resident complained.

The bells of 900-year-old St Peter's, Sandwich, chime every 15 minutes throughout day and night and despite the 3,500-strong petition from local residents opposing the move, Dover District Council have ordered they silence their ringing between 11pm and 7am.

The council has issued this order under the Environmental Protection Act judging the chimes to be too loud. Although the 5,000-odd locals have never before complained about the Norman church ringing its bells, a complaint from a lone resident prompted the council to enforce the ban.

Save The Chimes campaign leader, Carole George, said the order threatens the 'traditions and history' in the medieval town, according to the BBC.

George added: 'This is not a democratic decision; the council has ignored the vast majority of its electorate.

'The church has been ringing out for centuries, it's not a new noise. It's the beating heart of this town.

'It is unclear what tampering with such an old mechanism will do, and there is a concern the bells may stop altogether.'

The Save The Chimes campaign anxious about the enforcement said they do not have enough funds to appeal the decision of the council, which stopped the bells for the first time since 1779.

Sandwich's MP, Craig Mackinlay in support of the Save the Chimes campaign said the chimes are an 'integral part of Sandwich life'.

Mackinlay, who is already in communication with the appropriate Minsters says he will 'continue to fight with local residents and campaigners, to get common sense to prevail'.

The council recognises its decision opposes the feelings of most of the locals but says in defence of the ban that it has a 'statutory duty to investigate noise complaints'.