A reverend has been forced to defend her church after residents complained its bells were being rung too early in the morning.

       St John the Baptist Church in Hugglescote, Leicestershire has rung its bells between 9:30-10am every Sunday for decades, but only recently has it drawn the anger of locals.

       People took to Facebook to accuse the church of not having "consideration for the community" and "disturbing people".

       This prompted a response from the Reverend Laura Jackson, who agreed to a "conversation with the community" if there were more complaints.

       She said: "If it ever got to a point where there was more negativity, there would be a conversation with the community. We're not about making people unhappy; it's about working together.

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       "The bells have rung out here since the 1900s, and I don't think half nine is too early. Most people are up by half nine.

       "The bells for the clock used to ring 24 hours a day. We've now stopped that at nine at night through until seven o'clock in the morning, so we're always about making adjustments for the community."

       Not every resident is annoyed by the bells, however. David and Irene Hodson said they "love" and "look forward to" the sound of them.

       David told the BBC: "In the summertime we have the windows open so we can listen to it. I sit out on the back, I love the sound of the bells. I look forward to them."

       Irene added: "It's not like [the ringing is] every day of the week. Hopefully, with time, they'll get used to them as well."

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       Jane Wardle, 68, added: "You hear them, but it doesn't bother you. There's bell ringing practice on Friday nights, and that doesn't bother us, you just turn the telly up a little bit."

       Ruth Middleton, 77, said she also turns up her TV to drown out the bells as she's not a fan. She said: "I've lived near a church nearly all my life, but it's not something I enjoy, unless you get some good players who are playing music.

       "It doesn't matter whether they're early or late. If you don't like it, you don't like it, do you? But, like I said, you just get used to it."