A parish council has caused an almighty ding-dong by accusing a village church of not ringing its bells often enough.

The chimes at St Mary's in Pevensey stopped almost five years ago.

As a result, Westham Parish Council has refused to pay a £250 church grant, saying villagers were missing out on the sound of the centuries-old bells.

Regular ringing stopped at St Mary's, the oldest Norman church in England, when members of the bellringing team were sacked from the belfry in May 2003 amid controversy.

Despite pledges last year that a new team would be trained to ring on Sundays, the bells have not been heard since Christmas Eve 2006 when ringers were brought in from Hailsham.

The parish council has said it will withhold the grant until the bells resume each Sunday.

As the saga rattles on, one villager has joked she would throw the vicar, the Reverend Gary Barrett, into the village pond if the problem was not resolved.

Villagers complain the only time they hear the bells is when the ringers practise on a Tuesday night - and even then it is muffled.

Kevin Balsdon, Wealden district councillor for Pevensey and Westham, said it was childish silliness and should be resolved immediately.

He said: "The last time we heard the bells was Christmas 2006 and it was beautiful. People left their homes to listen because it's such a rarity and such a beautiful sound."

He said the parish council was holding taxpayers' money by not paying what it had agreed to spend and, as such, had a duty to hand it over.

He said: "Someone has to offer an olive branch."

Before the sackings, the parish council had agreed to pay a bell-ringing grant.

The money has not been paid despite the bells needing considerable repairs, which could cost thousands.

Parish council clerk Alison Coode said: "We will reconsider our position when we hear the bells ringing.

It's what the residents want."

Church warden David Wragg refused to reveal why the ringers were sacked but said it made regular bell-ringing impossible. He said the new team was still in training.

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