Temporary churches set up in empty shops and bingo halls are keeping residents awake with noise and loud music from services which lasts into the small hours, it was claimed today.
Rumen Miah of Lamb House in Camberwell Road, Camberwell, said: "It's a big problem." Neighbour Sanae Saragar compared the sermons to a "party", adding: "There's a lot of noise. They come outside the gate and talk really loudly, which keeps me up."
Southwark council said it had removed microphones from several churches following complaints.
A spokesman added: "They open and close very quickly. Some of the smaller churches are come and gone in a matter of hours. We're looking into it on an individual basis." Pastor Felix at The Rock of Redemption, a Pentecostal church in Camberwell Road, denied his services were too loud.
The church, which holds services in a former Cash Converters, refused to comment on why services were held late at night.
House of Praise, another Pentecostal church based in a former bingo hall in Camberwell Road, said it seldom held services on days other than Sunday.
