A charity boss is being taken to court over “laughable” complaints about animal noises coming from her rural rescue centre.

Amey James, who runs Happy Pants Ranch on the outskirts of Sittingbourne, is accused of breaching an abatement order due to “constant daily noises” from her cockerels, geese, sheep, cattle and dogs.

But the charity owner insists she will fight the legal action, adding: “Countryside animals making noise in the countryside is not an offence.”

The problems began in 2021 when complaints were made about the sanctuary's birds.

The rescue centre – a home for about 350 unwanted or abandoned animals – had recently moved from its previous base at Yelsted near Maidstone, to a 20-acre site in Iwade Road, Bobbing. Before that, she was based in Rainham.

Amey was instructed by Swale council to stop allowing animals "to make an unreasonable level of noise” or face being slapped with a £2,500 fine. She began legal proceedings to appeal the order, but later dropped the action due to the potential legal costs involved.

This week, she was served with a 176-page document from Swale council alleging Happy Pants Ranch has failed to comply with the conditions of the noise abatement notice between March 4 and June 30.

It said the rescue centre failed to “take all necessary steps to abate the nuisance from cumulative constant daily noise from animals including cockerels, geese, sheep, cattle and dogs kept in on the premises.”

The document is also understood to outline noise made by tractors, “people talking”, hammering, sawing and “honks” with the dates and times when the reported offences occurred.

Speaking to KentOnline, Amey said: “There is no way I can say these animals do not make noise but I do not think they are a nuisance. I think a nuisance would be people playing music too loud at night.

“Countryside animals making noise in the countryside is not an offence.

“It would be laughable if it was not so stressful and upsetting. It is ridiculous, I cannot believe it has been taken this far.

“The noise is not going to change if I get a fine or not, we might as well be fined forever. I cannot imagine the complaints will stop if we do get a fine.”

Since the abatement order was issued in 2021, Amey said she has put mitigations in place to reduce the noise levels such as moving the cockerels further away from residential areas and blacking out the barns to keep them from crowing at sunrise.

She added: “If it was a lot more people complaining then I would understand but it is just from one complainant, that is the point that seems so unfair. Everybody else is so supportive of us.

“I do not even know what is going to happen after this.

“I am really worried about it. I am willing to battle against it but I do not see how it will end.”

Read More: What noises are angering Kent residents?

A spokesman for Swale council said: “We have a duty to investigate any complaints that we receive, and we always try to work with all those involved to resolve the situation in an amicable manner, court action is always a last resort.”

Amey has been told she must attend a hearing at Medway Magistrates’ Court on November 15.