A service was halted at Bath Abbey, for the first time, because sound from a busker outside drowned out the levels of choir singers.
The choral evensong was abandoned half way through on Sunday evening and the congregation was forced to leave.
Kingston Parade, the square outside the abbey, is a popular spot for buskers who sing and play amplified instruments.
After the incident, musical director Peter King took to Twitter to complain that the city collectively had to sort out the issue of over-loud buskers – and some buskers sympathised and said the two who carried on playing 'did not represent' the majority of street performers.
"The local council continues to do nothing about this nuisance," said Mr King. "Local office staff work with ear plugs and can't open windows in a heatwave because of buskers. The council does nothing despite numerous complaints.
"Other cities manage the problem, Bath just wrings its hands and says it can do nothing. Two boys had learnt solos and take them home to practice and were singing them beautifully – all wasted," he added.
One busker, Justin Towell, expressed sympathy with the abbey's plight. "Buskers who play over Abbey events do not represent the majority of us," he said. "So sorry to hear this."
The issue of busking in Bath has long been a thorny one, with council chiefs allowing the buskers to entertain shoppers and thousands of tourists every day, but attempting to manage the issue. Buskers are supposed to undergo an audition to check they are good enough, and the buskers have formed their own ad hoc arrangements to ensure everyone is spaced out enough and gets a fair share of time. They all meet at 10am to agree times and places, with the pitches outside the abbey's famous West End the most sought-after.
But increasing numbers of buskers are using amplified equipment to be heard over the general din of visitors – and each other. Last year, a video of one busker berating another who had not joined in the agreement and was singing karaoke through a microphone went viral online, and brought the issue to the fore.
