A Mid Wales family claimed they were often too tired to stay awake during the day because of their neighbours’ constant crowing cockerels, a court has heard.

Roger Morgan, 48, of Gerynant, Bwlch Y Fridd, near Newtown, said his job as a coach driver was being affected because of the lack of sleep he and his family were getting. The case is being heard at Llandrindod Wells.

The court was told yesterday how the cockerel noises had carried on for at least six hours most nights last summer.

But neighbours Roy, 67, and Valerie Rylands, 69, claim Mr Morgan has “exaggerated” the noises.

The court heard how Mr Morgan had complained about the noises to Powys County Council on June 29 last year.

He was asked to fill in a noise assessment diary and send it back to the council’s environmental health team.

Giving evidence, Mr Morgan told the court how he had noted down prior incidents of noises made between June 1 and June 22 last year.

“I wanted to fill it in and get it back to the council as soon as I possibly could because the noise had been going on long enough,” he said.

Tired

“It was getting to the point where I heard cockerels crowing between 1am and 7am most nights. I sleep in the back spare bedroom of my house three to four times a week because my job as a coach driver involves long hours and I never want to disturb my wife.

“I would start drifting off to sleep only to be woken by the noise throughout the night.

“It sometimes gets to the point where I can’t do my job because I’m too tired.

“My children and wife have been affected too and one of my sons has fallen asleep in school before now.”

The court was told how officers from the council had fitted a noise monitoring device at Mr Morgan’s house on August 9 last year, for a period of nine days.

Mr Morgan said that audio recordings had been taken with the windows both opened and closed.

“All I want is a good night’s sleep,” Mr Morgan told the court.

Paul Bufton, an environmental health officer, told magistrates how he had experienced the noise of the cockerels from Mr Mogan’s bedroom.

“The noise was substantial enough to prevent sleep. It was a particularly loud noise, very high pitched and not particularly pleasant,” he said.

The case continues.