Immingham hum: Hunt continues for source of noise

Some residents of Immingham said the noise could force them to leave the town

The source of a mysterious humming noise plaguing the residents of a North East Lincolnshire town may never be discovered, the council has said.

People in Immingham say they have heard the low-level sound for a number of years.

North East Lincolnshire Council said its investigations had "drawn a blank".

Chloe Eccles, who has lived in the town centre for six years, said she had considered moving away because of the noise.

"As the years have gone on I've carried on hearing it and I thought I was crazy but other people can hear it too... especially in the last couple of months, it's got really loud," she said.

"There's nothing that blocks it out, it's constant."

'Goes on and on'

There have been suggestions it could be coming from nearby factories, oil refineries, or underground cables. Others think the source might be a wind or solar farm.

A council spokesperson said: "After initial contact with partners operating in the Immingham area, they've so far drawn a blank, although it could be coming from outside the borough."

The council said it would continue to work with residents, but added: "Any queries about noise must constitute a statutory nuisance for formal action to be instigated."

Chloe Eccles said the sound had become louder over the last few months

Dr Matt Barnard, an expert in acoustic ecology who looks at how people relate to sound in the environment, said the source was likely to be man-made.

"I can't give a definitive answer, it has to be something quite loud and powerful," he said.

"These things can have a range of sources. In rare cases it could be geological but typically it could be industrial sources or traffic.

"My inclination is it will have some sort of industrial source but it will be hard to pin down because sound behaves strangely."

Dr Barnard, who works at the University of Hull, said if that was the case, there was a "responsibility to try and sort it out".

Rachael Shead said the humming sound "really affects me a lot"

Rachael Shead, who has lived in Immingham for five years, said the sound affected her "a lot" and she hoped the source would be identified soon.

"It's like a droning noise and goes on and on and on," she said. "I can hear it over the telly, and the rain and the wind."

The town is not the first to report a mystery noise - villagers in Holmfield, West Yorkshire, said in 2022 they were being "tortured" by a hum but Calderdale Council was unable to find the source.

Similar cases have also been reported in Bristol and Nottingham.