NEWCOMERS to a North Yorkshire village have ruffled feathers by complaining about cockerels crowing.

People living on a housing estate at Scorton have their early morning slumbers interrupted by a rooster on a neighbouring property.

The sleep-deprived residents have now complained to Richmondshire District Council environment unit, much to the disgust of the owners of the offending poultry.

Hans Waltl, who keeps eight chickens, including two cockerels, Chanticleer and Monty, said several people in the village had owned birds for many years.

His rare breed Wyandots and Styriam Whites had lived on his smallholding, which backs on to the housing estate, for several years.

His neighbours keep two Bantams and a pedigree Cochin cockerel, named Edward, as pets for their children.

One of the area's top poultry breeders, Chris Grant, also lives in the village with his birds, which include a cockerel, and at least two other residents keep poultry.

The bird owners themselves have been unable to discover exactly whose rooster is causing the problem, in spite of getting up at 5.30 to try to identify the culprit.

"All of a sudden, people from the housing estate have started complaining," said Mr Waltl.

"What has got everyone in the old village riled is the fact they have gone straight to the council rather than coming round and having a word with us.

"Some people have kept their chickens in overnight to limit the noise in the morning, but that goes against the grain of free range hens.

"People want free range eggs but they don't want to get disturbed by the hens."

Mr Waltl expressed some sympathy for the environmental health officials called in to investigate.

"I can't believe they want to get involved in something like this, as they have a limited budget and resources," he said.

"I don't know how this will turn out, but we won't go down without a squawk."

Sean Little, of the council environment unit, was unable to comment on individual cases or identify the complainants.

"Like any noise complaint, we have a duty to investigate," he said.

"One option is to prosecute for causing a nuisance and, as part of that, have a bird removed.

"However, we are nowhere near that stage at the moment."