In towns and villages across Switzerland, the nightly chiming of church bells is an integral part of the culture – albeit a noisy one.

Most Swiss are fond of this centuries-old tradition, which goes back to the age before smart phones and other electronic devices showed exact time. For others, especially those living within earshot of the ringing, this custom sets off alarms.

Neuer Zurcher Zeitung newspaper reported this week that in Hofstetten, a town of 2,000 people, a dispute erupted around the six-minute-long bell ringing at 5:30am at St. Nicholas Catholic Church.

Several residents asked that the morning chiming be postponed until 7am, so they could get some more sleep.

Hundreds of outraged residents showed up at a church meeting and voted to leave the morning ritual unchanged for the sake of tradition.

The bell issue became even more contentious in Wadenswil, a town of 21,000 people, where residents Alfred and Maryvone Naef complained about the incessant night time tolling of the bells at the nearby Protestant Reformed Church. They asked that the chiming be limited to once an hour rather than every 15 minutes.

Initially the courts in Zurich agreed with the married couple, ruling that the bells at the town’s evangelic reformed church should only be rung on the hour at night, rather than every 15 minutes.

But the church authorities and the majority of the town’s residents took their case to Switzerland’s highest court.

Its ruling in December 2017 was clear as a bell: the nightly chiming ritual could continue because it was firmly rooted in the town’s culture.

According to Peter Meier, president of the church council, the court’s decision reflected the will of the people.

He said: “We are delighted with this decision, not just for us, but for the town and the whole community.

“The bells are an important part of the town’s feeling of home, and have long given a rhythm to people’s lives here.”

But the Naefs were less impressed with the ruling. Mr Naef said he and his wife were horrified that the bells could start ringing again more frequently.

However, Mr Meier cited an independent survey that found that 79 per cent of residents said they were not disturbed by the bells. “We are celebrating the church’s 250th anniversary this year, and this is a very nice present to not have this hanging over us any more,” he said.

In three other court cases involving church bells in recent years, the verdicts favoured tradition. Church chimes are not the only controversial sounds in this bell-loving country.

Last year, a Dutch woman was denied Swiss citizenship because she complained about the sound of cowbells in her village.

Village administration spokesman Urs Treier said that the woman’s application was rejected because her complaints on social media were seen “as rebellion against our traditions”.

Though most Swiss are accustomed to the constant ringing of church and cow bells, expatriates are not.

A popular English-language expat forum has a thread called “Damn church bells”, which publishes complaints about the widespread practice. It advises apartment hunters to check how close the dwelling is to a church and to listen to bells before signing the lease.

In some cases, there may be relief soon. According to René Spielmann, president of Glockengiesserei Rüetschi bell company, the new generation of bell clappers are quieter.

That may not work for every church as Mr Spielmann said “bells are equivalent to strings on a violin”.

There are many factors to take into account and each church is different, he said.

“The lower a church tower is, and the larger the opening through which noise of the bells can emerge, the more chance that someone will be disturbed,” he said.

Linus Grossheutschi, church leader in Hofstetten, is hoping the quieter bells will provide the answer.

The Naefs, who still live near Wadenswil’s 250-year-old church, will continue to long for the sounds of silence.