A LOUD screeching noise is upsetting the tranquillity of Windermere, lakes administrators heard this week.

Windermere parish councillor Jim Morphet said he had received complaints from residents and visitors about the screeching' of the cross-lake car ferry as it docked.

"We've had this noise for eight months and it's still prevalent," Coun Morphet told fellow members of the Windermere Ferry Advisory Committee.

"It has annoyed hundreds of people in this area."

John Robinson of ferry operators Cumbria County Council explained that the problem had arisen after the routine replacement earlier this year of wearing bars at the ends of the ferry's boarding ramps.

The bars scraped along the concrete landing ramps as the ferry docks.

A loud noise had occurred before but went away once the bars had worn down to match the shape of the concrete ramps either side of the lake at Far Sawrey and Ferry Nab, Windermere.

To try to silence the screech this time, the ferry was taken out of service in June to grind the new bars to shape.

But although the grinding has successfully helped to turn the volume down, the screech is still there and is still generating complaints, according to Coun Morphet.

"As far as I can see, we haven't come anywhere near to finding a satisfactory solution," he said.

"We can hear that ferry docking on the far side of the lake. It was audible at Windermere Golf Club and that's three miles away!"

Following a complaint from Windermere Parish Council, environmental protection officers from South Lakeland District Council monitored the screech in the summer and concluded that it was too noisy.

But because they had received the complaint from the parish council and not an individual, they had dealt with it informally, raising their concerns with CCC rather than pursuing legal enforcement proceedings.

To solve the problem, Coun Morphet suggested CCC install nylon rollers instead of wearing bars or asked their drivers to wait for the ferry to stop before dropping the ramps.

Ferry committee member and county councillor Ron Mein said operators could leave the ramps horizontal until the ferry docked, or install sled-style runners.

Mr Robinson said quickly lowering the ramps speeded up the ferry's operation and added that he would take on board Coun Morphet's comments.

The committee agreed to press CCC to take "urgent action" to stop the screech.

l An idea to bring on board a corporate sponsor for Windermere's ferry got a cautious welcome from the councillors. As reported in last week's Westmorland Gazette, an unnamed national retailer with strong local connections has expressed an interest in sponsoring the vessel.

This week, members of the Windermere Ferry Advisory Panel supported the sponsorship idea in principle but stressed that advertising should not be over the top while decisions should be made following proper consultation.

It will now be left to CCC officers to negotiate the terms of any deal. CCC's ferry officer John Robinson refused to name the potential advertiser, claiming talks were at a sensitive stage.