Church wins ‘holy war’ with council over amplified services

A church has won an increasingly bitter legal fight over its right to amplify sermons and singing during services.

Lambeth council threatened the All Nations Centre in Kennington with prosecution and served it with a noise abatement notice after receiving complaints from neighbouring families.

The church, which has 600 members, today claimed victory after the council this week withdrew the order just hours before the case reached court.

Senior pastor Abraham Sackey said the council had ulterior motives after the notice was served without warning or discussion. He said: "It had nothing to do with noise but rather was further evidence of the ongoing campaign of religious hatred and intimidation against evangelical Christians. The council is driving us out and we feel harassed." The authority denied the claim.

The centre, which has been at its current location for 45 years, received the backing of its local MP, Kate Hoey. She said: "They have been serving the community for many years, consistently helping to improve the quality of life and overall well-being of people. So it was with surprise and concern that I learned they were served with a noise abatement notice."

Residents, however, say the noise remains a problem and called for the council not to give up trying to control it. Neighbours said it was not the singing that concerns them but rather the noise made outside the church.

Resident John Green said: "Residents have been complaining for months now about the noise. It's fine when the congregation is inside the church. We all quite like hearing the singing. But when they come out into the street the problems start.

"There is shouting and children screaming throughout the weekend and sometimes during the week. Lambeth council needs to do something about it and all it would take is the head of the church asking the congregation to keep it down a bit."

Faye Dodson, 51, a shopkeeper who lives opposite, said: "The church just isn't in the right place. It's all residential round here and people get really annoyed with all the noise."

Lambeth council refuted the claims that the abatement order was religiously motivated and said it was withdrawn because the church had installed various sound-proofing measures.