Rooster spared the chop over his 5 a.m. crowing

A cockerel threatened with the chop over his noisy crowing has been saved after the sole complainant was driven out of the village in Britain where he lived, the Daily Mail reported Wednesday.

Reg the rooster was branded a potential "noise nuisance" by his Weymouth and Portland Council after a newcomer to the rural community took issue with the bird's 5 a.m. wake-up call.

Officials warned Simon Grant-Jones, owner of the rare leghorn exchequer specimen, that checks would be made to see if Reg's crowing was excessive and action could be taken.

But the threat sparked a village revolt against the unidentified "townie" who complained, starting with a petition, according to the Mail. It was signed by 160 people, more than half of the village population, and such was the ill-feeling towards the plaintiff it was said that he went into hiding.

He and his wife have now moved out of pretty Sutton Poyntz in Dorset after selling their large detached house for 430,000 pounds. As a result the complaint is no longer valid and Reg has been spared, the newspaper added.