A furious man claims he's been subjected to months of "constant torture" thanks to his neighbour's noisy pet - a cockerel whose "incessant crowing" causes him "immense stress".
William Ranieri, 48, who lives in Brighton's Kemp Town, said the noise triggers "irrational responses" including stomach cramps, shaking and anger.
He's also resorted to wearing headphones while working and keeping all his windows and doors shut during recent hot weather.
Mr Ranieri told The Argus: "This has caused me immense stress and I think it highlights the lack of accountability in our community."
He alleged his neighbour, who is a council tenant, should not be allowed to keep the animal at the property based on the council's housing tenancy management policy.
However, when he reported the issue to the council and area housing officers were sent to inspect, they said the tenant was acting within their agreement, according to Mr Ranieri.
"This contradicts the council’s own policy which explicitly prohibits the keeping of cockerels due to the noise they produce," he claimed.
Mr Ranieri also alleged the council suggested the use of a crow collar - in a move the complainant slammed as "deeply concerning" and "cruel".
"The collar has never been implemented anyway," he added. "The noise problem persists." Mr Ranieri suggested the animal should be moved to a nearby allotment.
A spokesperson for Brighton and Hove City Council said: "There is no blanket ban on council tenants owning cockerels. We consider each permission request for a pet based on the individual circumstances.
"In some cases we agree conditions with tenants that are intended to limit noise nuisance from pets.
"In instances where people feel animals are causing noise nuisance we always ask the people affected to monitor the frequency and duration of the nuisance.
"We can consider withdrawing permission for a pet. But we can only do when we have sufficient evidence – such as dates and times – of the nuisance being caused. We cannot comment on individual cases."
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