A community in Kent has become divided over a flock of peacocks kept by a retired judge, with neighbours complaining that the birds' loud, screeching calls are making their lives a misery. Residents living near the property say the noise, particularly during mating season, disrupts their sleep and daily peace, prompting complaints to the local council and highlighting a familiar clash between one person's hobby and the wider community's right to quiet enjoyment of their homes.

The dispute centres on the ornamental birds' piercing cries, which some locals liken to a person screaming and say can be heard well beyond the judge's garden. Neighbours have reportedly sought help from environmental health authorities over the nuisance, while the peacocks' owner has defended keeping them, setting up a protracted standoff that reflects wider tensions over noise complaints and animal-keeping in residential areas.