Market trader ordered to stop bellowing
A MARKET trader has been banned from shouting about his produce because he yells as loud as a chainsaw.
Wayne Bellows has spent his entire working life mastering the traditional market call to attract customers at the Saturday market in the New Forest town of Lymington, Hants.
But now the fourth-generation fruit and vegetable stallholder claims he has been gagged after a noise complaint.
The 53-year-old was left “shocked” after officials deemed him too noisy to continue using his voice to promote his goods. He claims shouts of “tubs of strawberries”, “come and try” and “lots of fresh fruit here” are vital to sales.
An investigation found Mr Bellows’s loudest shout reached 111 decibels, around the same as a rock concert or a chainsaw, but he said it is all “part and parcel of street life”.
He was initially told by market regulator Lymington & Pennington town council to only shout from lunchtime onwards to avoid loud sales tactics in the morning, but was later banned from shouting altogether.
The father of three has been touting his goods for the last 35 years at his stall, which is one of the 100 at the market, which dates back more than 750 years.
The town, where the average home sells for around £500,000 and some houses fetch up to £4million, has previously been labelled “too posh for Argos” after residents battled plans to open a branch of the store, later turning their attention to the planned opening of a JD Wetherspoon.
Mr Bellows is worried that the ban could result in a loss of sales and force him to cut staff. He branded the situation “ridiculous” and claimed that the market, where he pays £340 a month for his stall, helped reduce council tax as it earned substantial revenue for the council.
He said: “I was very shocked. The market has been there for hundreds of years and now someone moves into the High Street and decides they do not like the noise. It is part and parcel of street life. It’s part of the atmosphere. I just use my voice and shout all kinds of things about what we have on sale. If I cannot shout then I cannot sell. Trade will drop like a stone if I cannot shout.”
The tourist destination is popular for its weekly market, which it has hosted since a charter was issued in 1250.
The street was deliberately made wide enough to allow for regular trading. The council describes it as a “great opportunity” for small, local businesses.
Elizabeth Jarman, 54, a resident of Lymington who works across the road from Mr Bellows’ stall, described his shouts as “part of the market’s charm”. A town council spokesman said that market rules ban traders from making a noise nuisance.
She added: “The town council has a responsibility to ensure a well-managed market for all and, upon receiving complaints, has to deal with them in line with our market regulations, as published on our website.”
Mr Bellows plans to raise the matter at a town council meeting with stallholders at the end of the month, adding: “I must fight this for markets everywhere. The council makes a lot of money from it – it’s really busy in the summer.”