RESIDENTS on the shores of Loch Ness are having their sleep disturbed by a mystery humming noise similar to that which sparked a spate of calls to a council in Suffolk.
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Mikko Takala, who lives in a cottage overlooking the loch near Drumnadrochit where he runs a webcam site tracking the elusive Loch Ness Monster, has been having sleepless nights for weeks.

His mother, who lives with him, and a near neighbour have also been woken in the wee sma’ hours by the same strange humming noise, which one blue blooded Suffolk resident, Lord Philips of Sudbury, said could be mistaken for a spacecraft landing.

Inquiries by Babergh District Council have so far failed to pin down a source of the noise, while Highland Council environmental health staff are about to begin their own inquiries into the lochside disturbance.

“I thought at first the noise could be coming from some old bearings in the Foyers Hydro Station across the loch,“ said Mikko.

“But when I went out of the house I couldn’t hear anything at all.“

A Scottish and Southern Energy spokeswoman confirmed they have been having no problems with the machinery at the hydro station and the noise would not be from their plant.

Mikko said he would be contacting other utility companies as a process of elimination to try to get to the bottom of the mystery.

“I have to confess it’s bizarre. It get’s into your head and is like a buzzing sound, vibrating like an empty football. I think its a resonance frequency. Putting your fingers in ears doesn’t help. I’ve heard it start at 2am and it would carry on until 8am. My mother has heard it too.“

Mikko said he had gone outside to listen and focus on where it was coming from but couldn’t hear anything.

“It’s a complete mystery because you only seem to hear it from indoors and its exactly the same as what is being experienced in Suffolk.“

Babergh District Council received 50 complaints from residents and council staff there are still trying to identify the source.

Locals have failed to pin it down and Lord Philips of Sudbury commented: “If someone had said to me a spacecraft had landed on the meadows I would have said, ‘well I heard it’.“

Other locals in Sudbury have described the noise as a high hum and a high pitched drone.

Highland Council’s environmental health staff confirmed they had received a report about the noise and they would be investigating.

“We have had reports of a low humming noise which is loud enough to wake local residents.

“We will investigate this but it will be very much a process of elimination to try and identify a noise source.

“That can involve switching off all power sources to the property to ensure there is not a problem with a motor in the house.“

Source

Nessie’s practicing underwater pìobaireachd!

We get funny noises like those described where I live.

In our case we know they’re created by the nearby Honeywell jet engine testing facility.

“I thought at first the noise could be coming from some old bearings in the Foyers Hydro Station across the loch,” said Mikko.

“But when I went out of the house I couldn’t hear anything at all.”

I’ve got real sensitive hearing especially to lower frequencies.  I’m occasionally kept awake by a low somewhat irregular pulsing sound (like from distant music) that I only hear through my pillow, not through the air.  (It doesn’t correspond to my own pulse, so I’m not hearing or feeling my own heartbeat.)  I’ve even on occasion gotten up and walked all around the house outside, and I can’t hear it anywhere. 

I think some frequencies propagate at great distances through solids (and liquids?) but not through the air.

I’d bet money that the guy is hearing something coming from the hydro station.

JoeDaJuggler - 29 August 2008 11:35 AM

“I thought at first the noise could be coming from some old bearings in the Foyers Hydro Station across the loch,” said Mikko.

“But when I went out of the house I couldn’t hear anything at all.”

I’ve got real sensitive hearing especially to lower frequencies.  I’m occasionally kept awake by a low somewhat irregular pulsing sound (like from distant music) that I only hear through my pillow, not through the air.  (It doesn’t correspond to my own pulse, so I’m not hearing or feeling my own heartbeat.)  I’ve even on occasion gotten up and walked all around the house outside, and I can’t hear it anywhere. 

I think some frequencies propagate at great distances through solids (and liquids?) but not through the air.

I’d bet money that the guy is hearing something coming from the hydro station.

Yeah, sounds travels differently through the ground than through the air.  It could be coming through the ground, up into the foundations of his house, and setting his house to vibrating.  It’s also possible that his house could be focusing or even changing the pitch of the sound waves coming through the air, making them audible when they weren’t outside.

I still like my original idea better.

Wrong everyone knows Nessies doing what any other true blue scot would do,Practice her bagpipes,Aye its a beautiful instrument
i hear it took rens:)

silver caliber magnum - 30 August 2008 04:08 AM

Wrong everyone knows Nessies doing what any other true blue scot would do,Practice her bagpipes,Aye its a beautiful instrument

Right.  That’s pretty much what Accipiter said.

Accipiter - 29 August 2008 04:29 AM

Nessie’s practicing underwater pìobaireachd!

Maybe you should look up a word if you don’t know it?

(And you’ll have to look it up yourself after all.  My attempts at providing a link are meeting resistance due to the HTML coding for the accent.  Just copy and paste the word into Google.  You won’t have any problems.)

it is?
DANG!!
well its still true:)