All Hallows Church, in Wellingborough town centre, has been keeping time for more than 800 years, with bells that ring every quarter of an hour.

But the quarter-hour chimes have been turned off temporarily after a resident who recently moved into the area complained about the noise at night.

All Hallows' vicar, Father Anthony Reader-Moore, said: "It's not a major complaint, it is just somebody who has recently moved in to the area and is not used to the quarter-hour chimes. He just came in and said they kept him awake and was there a chance anything could be done?"

An automatic system which kicks in at nightfall is supposed to ensure the bells only ring every hour at night, but the system had malfunctioned and the bells were ringing every 15 minutes through the night.

The quarter-hour chimes have now been turned off completely until the system can be fixed.

But it is feared the system may need expensive repairs, meaning the church's quarter-hour chimes may need to be switched off totally until the money is raised to fix them.

A similar problem led to the bells being silenced completely for three weeks in May 2007.

Fr Reader-Moore said: "The bells have been here for hundreds of years and people who move near to a church have to expect this sort of thing. The gentleman concerned had a point, we took it seriously, but we have to live together, and there is no way that we would switch the bells off completely."

Local residents were generally in support of the bells.

Nora O'Dea, 77, of Great Park Street, said: "I love it, I think they are super, and they should keep them going. They don't disturb me because I never really notice them."

Andrew Reason, 33, of Church Street, added: "I like the bells, they have been there for hundreds of years, so people shouldn't move here then moan about them because they have always been there. They can't stop the bells."

Michael Argent, 56, of Park Road, said: "They do make a lot of noise, especially for people living nearby. I find them quite pleasant personally, but then I live further away."