Ice cream van drivers slapped with seven-page health and safety rulebook

Ice cream van drivers across Britain are being hammered by a stringent seven-page list of edicts dictating the playing time of their nostalgic jingles. The whimsical 'Greensleeves' melody, long cherished by Mr Whippy vans and their customers for generations, could now be deemed a nuisance if played a fraction over 12 seconds, government officials warn.

Vans are mandated to install a system that halts the tune concisely at the set interval. Drivers must limit themselves to a singular chime en route to their spot and another when stationary. Replays demand a two-minute intermission, while some streets may enforce a stark one-tune-per-two-hours policy. Additionally, melodies must fade into silence when passing churches on Sundays, schools during lessons, or near any rival treat trader.

DEFRA's 'Code of Practice on Noise from Ice-Cream Van Chimes Etc. in England' dictates the dos and don'ts to avoid the cacophony of complaints spurred by overzealous chime usage. Ice cream van drivers are being forced to adhere to a seven-page rulebook when playing their iconic tune. The tedious booklet includes a whopping number of rules and regulations that Mr Whippy has to follow.

The 'Greensleeves' chime has been a staple for British ice cream van drivers for decades. But the government says that if the jingle goes on for a moment longer than 12 seconds, it runs the risk of annoying the public. Each van has to be fitted with an automatic mechanism that stops the tune after the acceptable time period.

Drivers are only permitted to use the tune once when driving to their patch and once when the van is parked up, as reported by NeedToKnow. The jingle cannot be played again without a two-minute gap in between. And depending on the street, drivers can be limited to just one play of the tune every two hours.

The tune is not to be played when passing by a rival seller. Churchgoers must be avoided on Sundays and drivers are not allowed within 50 metres of a place of worship during a religious day. Ice cream vans must also avoid nearing schools during teaching hours. The 'Code of Practice on Noise from Ice-Cream Van Chimes Etc. in England' is enforced by the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs.

Its document states: "This code of practice gives guidance on methods of minimising annoyance or disturbance caused by the operation of loudspeakers fixed to ice-cream vans."

Used to convey and sell perishable commodities for human consumption to the p.

"Annoyance to persons in the vicinity is most likely to be caused if the volume of chimes is excessive."

If the chimes are played too frequently or for too long if the chimes are sounded in areas where people are particularly sensitive to noise, or if the sound of the chimes is distorted.

"The methods by which such annoyance may be minimised are described in the following sections of this code of practice."