Villagers vote on early-morning church bells

The public have had their say - and one church will continue to ring out the Angelus at 5h40 every morning, even though a mass no longer takes place at that time.

The mayor of the 500-inhabitant village of Jettingen, Haut-Rhin, put the matter to a local referendum after one resident wrote in to complain about being disturbed by the early - and unwanted - alarm call.

And 77.5% of voters decided they wanted to keep Jettingen's bells ringing before 6h, as they have done for centuries.

A total 70% of the 427 residents eligible to vote took part in the referendum, which decided whether to stop the early-morning Angelus bells, delay them until 7h14, and whether to keep hourly overnight chimes.

The village has a history of high turnouts at the polls. A total 81% voted in the 2017 Presidential election.