The decades-old soundtrack of a British summer is about to become more resonant. In news unlikely to delight parents of persistent, sweet-toothed children, ice-cream vans are to be allowed to sound their tinny chimes more regularly and for longer, the government has announced.

Following one of the more unusual recent consultations undertaken by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), ministers have opted to ease the terms of the 30-year-old code of practice for ice-cream van chimes.

Now, rather than being restricted to four-second blasts of a slightly off-key rendition of Greensleeves or O Sole Mio, van operators can serenade the streets for up to 12 seconds at a time. The sugary siren call can be repeated every two minutes rather than an every three, and can also be sounded once when the van arrives at a sale point.

Other restrictions in the code of practice remain unchanged, for example the ban on noise within 50 metres of schools during classroom hours, or near hospitals.

The consultation was undertaken as part of the government's self-styled red tape challenge, whereby industry groups could seek to overturn restrictions they saw as unnecessary.

Defra's consultation document, conveniently released during the middle of a mini-heatwave in much of Britain, shows that the Ice Cream Alliance was among seven industry groups or vendors to support a change. The Noise Abatement Society argued strongly for the status quo, saying it "establishes a balance between noise makers and noise sufferers".

All seven industry representatives wanted the cut-off for chiming hours to be put back from 7pm to 8pm. However, this was opposed by most other respondents "on the grounds that it would disturb young children's bedtimes and annoy those trying to relax in the evening". This option was rejected.

The details of the consultation also provide valuable insight for those who suspect their local ice-cream vendors already sound chimes for significantly longer than four seconds. The code of practice has no statutory force in itself and acts only as a guideline for noise enforcement officials.