Buskers banned from tourist hotspot as judge brands their singing 'psychological torture'

Buskers have been banned from a UK tourist hotspot after a judge branded their singing "psychological torture". From Thursday, street performers will no longer be allowed to operate in Leicester Square after a judge at the City of London Magistrates' ruled they had been inflicting trauma on nearby office workers with their live performance.

To comply with the ruling, Westminster City Council has removed street entertainment pitches and suspended all performances until further notice. It comes after the council cracked down on buskers playing amplified music on an endless loop following the March 26 court ruling.

Staff at Global Radio, home to LBC, Heart and Classic FM, complained the noise coming through their windows was so bad they had been forced to work in cupboards or wear headphones. Simon Thomas, boss of the Hippodrome Casino, said it often left him unable to concentrate.

In his ruling, district judge John Law said: "While the volume is the principal mischief, it is clear that the nuisance is exacerbated by the repetition and poor quality of some of the performances. As I observed in the hearing, the use of repetitive sounds is a well-publicised feature of unlawful but effective psychological torture techniques."

The court heard how Westminster City had failed to act despite a "long history of complaints". Council employees said they were often unable to respond because their offices were a 30-minute walk away.

Global employees said street performers played Fast Car by Tracy Chapman and Someone Like You by Adele on repeat. Chris Harvey has been performing in Leicester Sqaure for eight years. He said buskers are given 45 minutes to perform and unwittingly to play the same songs.

Jake G, another street performer, claimed many of the issues brought up in Global's legal case were caused by unlicensed buskers. He said these rogue entertainers don't follow the council's rules on noise and play well after the 9pm curfew.

Jake, who performs his own songs in Trafalgar Square, believes Global's complaint could have been avoided had Westminster City inspectors carried out more diligent checks on entertainers. He said: "This is all happening because of the council's complete failure to implement the rules and yet we are being scape-goated. I get why Global complained. If I heard the same three songs or 'Sweet Caroline' played on repeat, I would lose my mind too."

Myles Crossley, 28, said he may have to leave busking altogether. He said: "If you lose Leicester Square, I reckon a few of us would find different sectors of work to go into. I have been looking at auditioning for a musical but I would say most people would just pack it up and not come back".

Westminster City Council said it had no choice but to comply with the court ruling. It is also considering an appeal and is revising its busking and street entertainment licensing regime.

The council introduce a licensing scheme in April 2021. Those who are signed up are required to hold public liability insurance of at least £2m and are prohibited from performing before 8am and after 9pm, according to the council's website.

The scheme also requires performers to take all reasonable steps to avoid causing nuisance to nearby properties, have a full and varied repertoire that avoids repeating sounds, songs or music, and to limit performances to no longer than 40 minutes. It also bans the use of extra battery packs or generators where an amplifier is used.

According to the council's website, a six-month licence costs £20. That drops to £10 for students. All performers must operate within a designated circle painted on the ground.