‘Nuisance' buskers banned from Leicester Square
Buskers have been banned from performing in Leicester Square after a judge ruled their performances were a 'nuisance' and amounted to the 'psychological torture' of nearby workers.
Westminster City Council said it had 'no choice' but to indefinitely suspend performance pitches from all street acts following the ruling.
Last month, a judge found in favour of Global Radio, whose staff complained repeated renditions of Adele and Tracy Chapman songs made some of them work from cupboards.
But the council has complained the ruling has put it in an 'impossible position'.
It said that street performers were 'much loved' and an 'iconic part of the city's tourist scene', which it had tried to manage in order to minimise disruption.
Now, all buskers have received a letter, setting out the council's decision that from April 17, all licensed and unlicensed performers – as well as street entertainers – will have to comply with the suspension.
Those who flout the rules could be hit with a fine, their licence being taken off them or even their equipment getting seized.
Councillor Matt Noble said: 'Street performers are a much-loved part of our city's identity, but we also have to balance this with a duty to protect residents and businesses.
'The court ruling gives us no choice – we now have a legal obligation to act.'
He said it was 'categorically not a ban on street performers in Westminster' and that the council would be looking to find a fair solution.
The local authority added that it was 'keen' to ensure buskers can continue 'adding to the wider city's cultural heritage'.
The action follows an abatement order that was issued against the council by the City of London Magistrates Court.
Global Radio, which counts Heart, Capital and Classic FM among its stations and has office spaces nearby, took the local authority to court for the noise created by the buskers.
Staff played recordings of Adele's Someone Like You and Fast Car by Tracy Chapman in court to show the volume and how bad some performances were.
Ruling in its favour, District Judge John Law said the council had failed to take action against the 'nuisance'.
'While the volume is the principal mischief it is clear that the nuisance is exacerbated by the repetition and poor quality of some of the performances,' he said.
He added that the sounds were 'a well-publicised feature of unlawful but effective psychological torture techniques' and ordered the council to stop the 'nuisance'.
Westminster City Council is exploring its grounds of appeal.
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