I live in Dunfermline city centre and a constant source of frustration is that I have to put up with buskers who use amplifiers, and they rarely use them at a low volume.

When they perform outside Primark they can often be heard long before they’re even seen.

I’ve heard them clearly at the other end of East Port, by Viewfield Terrace, at the corner of Queen Anne Street by the old post office and on one occasion all the way down by the City Chambers.

I know the area is the central hub for shoppers in Dunfermline and is the favourite place for buskers to play, as they have a much greater chance of making money there than anywhere else in the vicinity and by playing loudly they can attract more custom and at the same time dissuade other buskers from playing nearby, giving themselves a much better chance to earn.

But when I’ve asked them to turn the volume down, as is my right as a resident of the area, all I get is fobbed off with one bad excuse after another.

One guy actually told me he was 'Trying to live the dream' and he said it with a straight face too.

Others just lie when they say that they’ll turn it down – they never do – and on a couple of occasions I’ve been met with outright hostility.

I have approached the police numerous times but I’m usually told that this is not a matter for them and I should instead speak to Fife Council about the noise levels.

When I do this they refer me back to the police!

It seems I’m being passed from pillar to post; the police say it’s not a criminal matter so they can’t get involved and the council say it’s not their responsibility, often citing Section 54 of the Civic Government Act which states that the police can ask a busker to stop performing if and when they are disturbing others, but this rarely happens, if at all.

I understand that both services are under increasing pressure these days and the last thing I want is to add to it but something has to be done about this.

It feels like I’m the only one who’s bothered by the noise levels so all I'm left with is a migraine and a sense of futility that the matter will ever be resolved.

Personally I would like to see buskers who use amplifiers banned from the High Street, partly for my own wellbeing but also because it would give other buskers who don’t use amps a greater opportunity to perform and earn.

Name and address supplied.