Cock-a-doodle ado: Italian man fined over cockerel's early-morning crowing

An Italian pensioner has been fined because his cockerel kept waking up the neighbours at the crack of dawn.

A police officer staked out the home of Angelo Boletti in Castiraga Vidardo, a town in Lombardy, to prove the truth of neighbours’ complaints that the bird, called Carlino, crowed at 4.30am.

Boletti, 83, was outraged to be then fined €166 (£150). He was found to have violated rules which stipulate that pets must be kept at a minimum distance of 10 metres from neighbouring homes. Carlino was in a cage in Boletti’s garden.

“I’m speechless. What need was there?” Boletti remarked to the local newspaper, Il Cittadino.

Boletti explained that Carlino had been living in his garden for 10 years before being given away to a friend due to complaints from neighbours about the bird’s crowing. The cockerel recently returned as Boletti was taking care of him while his friend was on holiday for 20 days.

Boletti, a retired bricklayer, now plans to appeal against the fine.

“They could have told me before about the distance [rule]. I didn’t understand,” he said. “I will not stop here – I will contact the police, prefect, everyone … also because I have made complaints to the local authorities about privately owned hedges being cut and people parking illegally, but haven’t had any response.”

Emma Perfetti, the mayor of Castiraga Vidardo, said the authorities were “forced to act in this way” because of the numerous complaints from neighbours.

She added that the cockerel was at Boletti’s home for longer than 20 days.

“It is not right for half a neighbourhood to be woken up at 4.30am,” she said.