Noise laws making Paris 'European capital of boredom'

They say the increasing amount of anti-noise legislation is preventing nightclubs, bars and restaurants from staying open late.

"All the fun lovers are moving to London and Berlin," said Jean Blanc, who runs a bar in the Marais district.

"We used to have dozens of customers enjoying their wine or a beer until the small hours, but now we have to shut well before midnight. It's a hopeless situation."

The online petition, presented to Paris mayor Bertrand Delanoe, says it would be "dangerous hypocrisy" to imagine that traditional nightlife can continue "without disturbing the perfect tranquility of a single resident".