Lancing neighbours’ daily street parties under threat after noise complaint

Residents of Orchard Avenue have been holding a 30-minute street party most weekdays for the last month or so, bopping from a distance to classic tunes from the last 60 years and beyond.

Simon Cassidy, 43, has been leading the celebrations with his tiny juke box, with up to 25 neighbours of all ages joining in.

The group even celebrated the 98th birthday of RAF veteran Thomas Harrison in what has become a vital beacon of community spirit during the pandemic.

But that could all be in jeopardy after an anonymous complaint brought the environmental health team investigating noise pollution.

“We don’t want to upset anybody, that’s the last thing we want to do,” said Simon. “But when you see everybody being happy and smiling and laughing, and you come in afterwards sweating because you’ve had a workout, why would anyone want to stop that?

“A lot of people are elderly and live on their own, and might have been feeling depressed or lonely. This is something that everyone can look forward to. It is a way to have a socially distanced street party that people do get excited about.”

The father-of-four said he and his wife Leanne knocked on ‘30 to 40’ doors in Orchard Avenue and surrounding streets to ask if anyone objected or was working night shifts and nobody voiced any concerns.

Some people would even walk down their road specifically to join in, he said, with delivery drivers, bin men and even police officers dancing along.

Simon said residents are prepared to write to the council to protect their party if needed.

“It’s not noisy, it’s just fun,” he said, adding the tiny juke box only cost £60.

“It’s a close neighbourhood, everyone talks and everyone says ‘hello’ – we’re really lucky to live here.”