A Choa Chu Kang man was kept awake for four days because of the constant noise from claw machines at a nearby pasar malam.

The man, surnamed Yang (transliterated from Mandarin), told Shin Min Daily News that the pasar malam started on Aug. 5.

It was located just 10m away from his block in the Keat Hong area.

Aside from the usual pasar malam fare, the market also offered games in the form of claw machines.

The pasar malam was sandwiched between two blocks, resulting in the 62-year-old Yang being inundated by the frenetic sounds of the claw machines.

He lives on the second floor of the HDB block.

Sounds amplified by the silence at night

Yang, who worked as an engineer, told the Chinese paper that the sounds--generated by 15 claw machines--kept him awake for four days.

He talked to the organisers on the first day of the pasar malam and they helped to lower the volume.

Unfortunately, that wasn't enough.

The claw machines emitted sounds constantly, and in the dead of night, the surrounding silence only served to amplify the machines' sounds.

"I understand they have a business to run. But most pasar malam end at 10:30pm. To continue through the night until daybreak is a bit too much," Yang told Shin Min Daily News.

Yang said in his seven years living in Keat Hong, this was the first time a pasar malam was set up next to his block.

While he understood that the fair was set up to celebrate National Day, he said the organisers should have considered the feelings of residents.

Claw machines supposed to be turned off at night

A reporter who visited the pasar malam, however, observed that the sounds from the machines were not that loud.

They said the noise from handling coins at the pasar malam was actually louder.

Yang later updated the paper to say that the machines had been turned off at 10:30pm since Aug. 9.

A spokesperson from the People's Association told Shin Min Daily News that the claw machines were supposed to be turned off at 10:30pm each night.

The association subsequently reiterated this to the business owner.

The PA spokesperson said: "The claw machines should stop operating by 10:30pm as stated in the permit agreement. Upon our checks, the operator confirmed that the machines stopped operating at the stipulated timing. However, we will continue to monitor the situation."

This article has been updated with PA's statement. A previous version incorrectly stated that the pasar malam was allowed to run overnight.

Top photo courtesy of Shin Min Daily News.