Plan to eject Roma Gypsies by playing loud music backfires on town mayor

Gino Debroux, the mayor of Landen – a small town 30 miles from Brussels in Belgium – had resorted to the measure yesterday after claiming the Roma had outstayed their agreed tenancy on a private plot of land.

He hired a local DJ to play music up to 95 decibels – the equivalent of a pneumatic drill from 50 feet away – but his choice of Sultans of Swing by Dire Straits as a first song did not have the desired effect as children from the camp broke out into a small jig.

The mayor explained he only used the “non-violent method” because the group had been “very difficult to negotiate with” and confirmed that after further discussions they had agreed to move on.