Back in January residents in the small area of St Ouen were left baffled by the curious case of their car doors refusing to open. Now they have been left scratching their heads – and covering their ears – by a low-frequency noise which hums constantly day and night.
Residents first noticed the buzzing about four years ago, but this year it became so severe that they were forced to call in the Public Health Department. The team placed recording devices at every likely source of low-frequency noise in the area – including mobile phone masts, electricity sub-stations and even the Airport – but they have been unable to find the cause of the buzzing. They have, however, confirmed that there is a low-frequency noise in the area.
David Capps, who contacted the department after the noise began to disrupt his sleep, said that he was now desperate to solve the mystery. He said: ‘It sounds like a distant diesel engine that is going all the time. It’s not something that you can put out of your mind. I have tried earplugs and other stuff but nothing works.’
Mr Capps (59), chairman of trust company Capco Trust, who has been given the all-clear following tests on his ears, said that several residents in the area could hear the noise, but he was the most badly affected.
Andrew Pritchard, community health team leader at the Public Health department, said: ‘It is very difficult to prove where this sort of noise comes from. We have done everything that we can and have exhausted all likely sources.’
