Mersey Reporter - #Merseybites #News

WE have had a number of reports of an irritating loud sound in Formby on:- Friday, 27 September 2024, that has been increasingly loud. We would like to know if you heard anything in order to solve the part of the puzzle. So far we have been unable to locate the culprit of this loud sound, but it is not the 1st time we have had complaints about strange sounds.

Back in March 2022 people in Kew, Southport and parts of Banks struggled to sleep due to loud noise that echoed around the area. This noise was soon put down to work being conducted by United Utilities. It is thought that some of the sounds heard in Formby might be of a similar nature. This time it was daytime when the sound was reported to have happened, from around:- 9:30 am to mid-afternoon. Yet, not all of the reports might be as simple to solve as this could be.

Over the last few years Merseyside, North Wales, and Cheshire have had multiple reports being made to media and the authorities about a mysterious sound that has again begun to be reported being heard since January 2024. But this sound is not directional and is heard mostly at night! This sound is associated with the 'Hum.' A persistent and invasive low-frequency humming sound.

Whatever the 'Hum' is, it is an enigma. This disturbing phenomenon is now well-known and has been heavily investigated by scientists the world over, since the 1970s. But as of yet, most reported occurrences just raise more questions than answers.

The most well-known incident of the sound being heard in the UK dates back to the mid-1970s. That occurrence was first reported in the Bristol Evening Post. The news item reported dozens of residents had been kept up at night by a low rumble that could be heard throughout Bristol. Like so many others, the course or courses of the issue have never been identified.

The phenomena hasn't just been documented within the UK, but has been covered heavily internationally, in many mainstream press outlets and science publications throughout the 1980s and 1990s, but interest in the story dropped off in the late 1990s. But recently people are again turning to the media for help in solving the riddle as to what is causing these mysterious sounds.

'Hum' sufferers describe the sound as a low-frequency buzz accompanied by a rumbling vibration. Sometimes it has been reported to have an equally annoying very high pitch squealing, like someone scratching a chalkboard associated with it. Some reports also say those affected can also feel the vibration. It's often reported to be worse at night, often between the hours of:- 1 am to 6 am, probably due to there being less background noise hiding it.

The 'Hum' is a low-frequency 'Hum' ming, rumbling, or droning noise that some people can hear, and it has been reported to have been heard and even recorded, all around the world, for decades. The 'Hum' has been attributed to a variety of causes, but it continues to be a problem for around 2% of people around the world.

After ruling out tinnitus and other health-related issues, theories about what makes the sound range from silly proposals to very sensible ideas, but none of them have been proven definitive.

Many would automatically pick up the idea that it is the result of household appliances, such as a dryer or fridge, but many studies of the sounds have ruled these devices out altogether.

Major international studies have resulted in a long line of theories about the cause of the 'Hum' which has ascribed the sounds to be emanating from wind-coursing vibration of support cables on bridges, industrial plants, mental shredders, traffic, shipping railways, electrical transformers, gas and or water pipe networks and pumps, airplanes, wind turbines, even radio waves. Plus, yes, even fish having sex has been suggested!

Major international studies into the global phenomena have included other natural processes that could be the course like the following:-

Back in 1973, at the Institute of Biology conference, it was suggested the sounds might be weather-related. The idea was these incidents could be the result of the jet stream shearing against slower-moving air. They suggested that this might cause a very low-frequency sound which could then be amplified by electricity pylons, resulting in the 'Hum' phenomenon.

In 2015, a team of French scientists proposed that the 'Hum' was caused by ocean waves extending down to the ocean floor. This could explain some of the problems reported but it doesn't work for all of the areas around the globe that have been affected by the sounds.

Even Astronomers have got in on the act... In June 2023 astronomers reported that they had found an extra-low 'Hum' rumbling through the universe. This has led to the theory that the 'Hum' might be connected to this 'rumble.' But the background 'Hum' of low-frequency gravitational waves that has been detected, with a pattern called the 'Hellings-Downs Curve' is very unlikely to be the course of the sounds.

In recent years the insistent low-frequency sound has been attributed to the installation of the 5G network, but as this was not around in the 1970's, it seems very unlikely to be the route of the problem. Plus, not all parts of the globe have 5G signs, but the 'Hum' has still been reported in those areas.

Then you have the more unlikely and extremely implausible theories, as you head into the land of conspiracies and New Age spiritualism, with ideas ranging from:- UFOs to top-secret military experiments coursing these sounds.

Many have suggested that it could be a combination of issues that all get linked up as the same problem. But whatever it is for some people unlikely they will get a good night's sleep without the risk of this sound reawakening them.

More information about the sound can be found on:- TheHum.Info website. This site also allows you to report it so that scientists can use the information you provide to help solve the mystery.

Also, please do let us know if you have heard it as we would like to know! Please post your comments below. (Please use the audio option if you can't get the Human Photo check to work)

Ron

Sat, 5 October 2024 2:45 pm

I would suggest the wind turbines, these are not going to be regular due to wind conditions, the turning of the blades would make a noticeable noise/vibration and the hum being the electricity being produced by the turbine.

Henry

Thu, 3 October 2024 1:17 pm

Loud sound last night that I couldn't work out what it was. It was around 4 in the morning and lasted for about an hour. It was like a half filled kettle being hit repeatedly and a low buzz. Very strange. Never heard it before. I live in the Little Altcar. I think is building work.

Formby Resident

Tue, 1 October 2024 8:16 pm

A close friend of mine has been saying that she kept hearing an annoying humming in her home, worse at night. I have just seen a television programme about this phenomenon, and have heard that an unusually high percentage of those that can hear this humming are ambidextrous – which she is!

On Friday 27th I was disturbed by a constant tapping/clicking sound in my home. I went round checking electrical equipment and sockets. In the end I switched off all power at my fuse box, to no avail. Later my neighbour told me she had had the same experience, and also cut off power. I then walked up and down my street, and the noise did appear louder nearer the Formby by-pass. The sound eventually ceased, but it started up again just after 9 a.m. the next day. Later it stopped, started up again, then eventually stopped for good.

I thought the sound came from the housing area alongside the Formby by-pass, but others felt it came from over on the Moss. Someone suggested this was due to work on some pylon there. Has anyone any knowledge of what caused this noise? I do not think it can be related to the humming sound, but would like to know.

Hightown Man

Sun, 29 September 2024 10:04 pm

I've been hearing a mysterious sound at night that seems to come from everywhere. It's very disruptive and keeps me up. I initially suspected it might be related to the nearby wind farm or offshore gas drilling, but I've heard it even when those activities weren't taking place. I've also considered other local sources like the Alt Pumping Station, but I've heard it in other areas like the Wirral. It's strange because my neighbors don't seem to hear it, and I've even had my hearing checked. I've noticed that similar reports have been surfacing across the UK this year.