Reverend Waggett said he was pleased with the outcome

Environmental officers told the Reverend Geoff Waggett that an investigation was being carried out after complaints about the bells.

But the bells have been given the all clear to chime at Christchurch, Ebbw Vale following the inquiry.

The vicar said the decision was a "victory for common sense".

Complaints were made to Blaenau Gwent Council following the restoration of the tenor bell after a six year silence.

The bell chimes the hour at the church.

Mr Waggett was told an investigation was being launched and the complainants were asked to keep a record of the noise.

But on Tuesday, the vicar received a letter telling him that the bells were not considered a noise nuisance.

The church dominates the skyline of the town

"This is a very good outcome for us - a definite victory for common sense," he said.

"We have had been overwhelmed by the level of support we have had from people in the town - it has been tremendous.

"I had people ringing me up and stopping me in the street telling me they were supporting us.

"People were very worried that if the bells were stopped then a part of the town's heritage would disappear.

"It would have had tremendous implications if they had said they were a nuisance but thank goodness common sense prevailed."

Mr Waggett said that he had met one of the people who had made a complaint about the noise of the bells.

"Their concern was that the bells were keeping the youngsters awake and I can appreciate that because I'm sure that after six years of no bells it probably was something that people heard when they began again," he said.

"But I think that people are a lot less tolerant of things these days.

"And if the steelworks were still working up here, then people really would know about noise."

The church, which has been undergoing extensive restoration over the last two years has already had noise suppressors fitted to the building to try to muffle the noise of the bells.

Noise monitoring

A spokesman for Blaenau Gwent Council said that they had been obliged to carry out the investigation due to a statutory duty to respond to all complaints of noise nuisance.

"The chimes were not found to constitute a noise nuisance, and all interested parties have been informed accordingly," the spokesman said.

Christ Church was built in 1860, and was recognised as outstanding in 1978 by the Historic Buildings Council for Wales.

Renovation work has been carried out over the past year although some delays were caused after the Grade II listed 175 foot spire was damaged in a fire last December.