Official Olympic starter banned from firing pistol at school sports day by elf 'n' safety - because gunshot might FRIGHTEN children

West Dunbartonshire Council suggest playing iPod gunshot sound instead

Parents brand ruling 'ridiculous' and accuse council of 'tying itself in knots'

It's the traditional sound which has greeted the start of children's sack races, sprints and egg and spoon challenges for generations.

And when Gartocharn Primary School in Dunbartonshire secured the services of the London Olympics chief starter for their own sports day, the school must have thought it would be an extra special occasion.

But the school had not reckoned with the administrative power of health and safety council officials, who banned Alan Bell from firing a pistol at the event in case the sound frightened the school's children.

Banned: Mr Bell, who has officiated over 25,000 race starts, has been told he cannot use a pistol because it might frighten the children

In an even more bizarre move, the council's solution was to play a recording of a starting pistol from an iPod, before it was eventually agreed that Mr Bell could use a klaxon instead

Parents of pupils at the school have branded the ruling 'ridiculous' and accused the local authority of 'tying themselves in knots'. .

Mr Bell has clocked up over 25,000 race starts in his career and even famously false-started world's fastest man Usain Bolt at the athletics World Championships last year.

Alternative: Officials eventually allowed Mr Bell to start the race using a klaxon

The 61-year-old had agreed to start the primary school race as he has family near the affluent Scottish village, and had previously officiated at hundreds of primary school events.

One parent, who did not wish to be named, told a Sunday newspaper: 'It was ridiculous. We were told that the children would be distressed by Mr Bell firing his starting pistol.

'Anyone who believes they would be frightened by a starting pistol has never experienced the noise at a typical three-year-old’s birthday party.

'The council tied themselves in knots trying to sort this out.



'One solution they came up with was to play a recording of a starting pistol on an iPod so the gun would not actually be fired on school grounds.'

A spokesman for West Dunbartonshire Council said: 'A klaxon was used because it was felt that a gunshot might frighten some of the nursery children. The event was still a huge success.'