The Bermuda Police Service is appealing for kite flyers to be considerate of their neighbours.

According to a statement, there has been a sharp increase in complaints about “noisy and annoying” kite flying in several areas.

“Easter in Bermuda is warmly associated with the flying of kites, both the traditional and ‘artificial’ variety,” it said.

“The season this year, however, has been punctuated by a sharp increase in public complaints about noisy and annoying kite flying.

“There are a small number of people who constantly disturb and frustrate their neighbours by flying extremely loud kites in several neighbourhoods throughout Bermuda.”

Complaints have included the persistent nature, the unsociable hours, and the piercing noise “that disturbs the peace”, the statement added.

And several complaints have associated the noisy kites “with the supposed sale of illegal drugs in the neighbourhood, causing unnecessary anxiety to residents”.

Pointing to Section 18 (a) of the Summary Offences Act 1926, which makes it an offence for any person to fly a kite over a public place “to the annoyance or danger of any passenger or frequenter”, the statement added that the BPS “would rather not use law enforcement to tackle this problem, and this is not an attack on a long standing Bermudian tradition”.

“Rather, it is an appeal for a common sense solution: for kite flyers to be reasonable and to be considerate of their neighbours.”