A Senglea resident has filed a judicial protest in which she complained about the “intolerable and unbearable” chimes let out by the clock in the parish church’s belfry every quarter of an hour.

Anna Spiteri argued that the sound levels of the chimes were illegal and excessive and that the installation of the clock was not covered by a necessary planning permit.

Ms Spiteri filed the protest, in the First Hall of the Civil Court, against the church’s Archpriest Joe Grech, Archbishop Paul Cremona, the chairman of the Malta Environment and Planning Authority, the Environment Minister, and Joanna Drake as the head of representation of the European Commission. She explained that she had been living in Pope Benedict XV Street in Senglea for over 26 years. In 2000 the Senglea parish church installed a new clock in its belfry after it was received as a gift. But the chimes by the clock, every 15 minutes, were unbearable.

Ms Spiteri elaborated that she had appointed engineer Albert Sacco to examine the sound intensity of the chimes. He reported that the average sound levels in the Senglea square ought to be between 53 and 60 decibels. This was exceeded by 25 to 30 decibels whenever the clock struck.

Ms Spiteri said these sounds were causing irreparable damage to her as her residence was situated near the church and she worked from home. She added that she had taken up the matter with the parish priest and even with the Curia but this had yielded no results. In the protest Ms Spiteri argued that the loud chimes were in breach of the EU directive on noise levels according to which Malta ought to have established noise strategic maps by June last year.