FIRST it was schoolchildren – now a puppy has been branded a noise nuisance in Selby.

Peace-loving residents in Barlby have complained to Selby District Council that 11-week-old terrier-cross puppy Alfie is driving them “barking mad” with his din.

The complaint comes after other residents complained about the noise made at playtimes by schoolchildren at the local primary school.

Alfie’s owner, Lynsey Gatenby, of Northfield, said her puppy was so young it had not even learned to bark properly yet.

She admitted he did cry when left alone in the house while she took her children to school but described the complaints as “a bit pitiful”.

A spokesman for Selby District Council said the authority had a statutory duty to investigate all complaints about noise.