March 2023
Not everyone can hear it, but an increasing number of residents of Brighton & Hove, East Sussex, are becoming concerned about a low-frequency humming/droning noise invading their homes across the area.
We would like to hear from anybody who is experiencing this phenomenon, so that we can get a better idea of the scope of the problem and see if there is anything that we can collectively do to mitigate this annoying issue.
If you are a fellow ‘hummer’, do leave some comments below. Please indicate your location (your approximate area will suffice) and give some detail on what you are hearing, what times you hear it, and when it first started etc. as this may help others who are suffering the same problem. Hopefully, we may be able to identify the cause.
For the sake of initial disclosure, I live in the Preston Park/Dyke Road area of Brighton (and no, I don’t suffer from tinnitus!). I mostly hear the hum during the colder winter months, and during summertime it is largely not present. Typically, it will start between 9pm and 11pm, and will often continue until morning, sometimes being very loud/annoying for short periods of time, but mostly a low-level background din. I have personally found that normal foam earplugs block the sound, which provides some relief!
A special thank you to all those who are contributing to the discussion in the comments section!
Some resources:
The Hum seems to be a worldwide phenomenon. Serious scientific research blog run by Dr. Glen MacPherson. A great resource for those wishing to learn more about the hum:
Worldwide Hum Map, which shows how distributed this problem is. Part of the research blog above. Zooming into Brighton & Hove UK, you can see several reported locations around the city:
Video: A man is tormented by a low-frequency humming sound emanating from his house. Could it be the “hum,” a mysterious noise heard around the world by thousands of people? Or is that just a collective delusion?
Bristol, UK, has also had a major hum problem, although professional research into the matter didn’t reveal a source!
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-35344544
Video: Can you hear a hum? | Earth Lab
Sound familiar?….
Brighton & Hove Low-Frequency Humming Noise 
Currently, I’m wide awake at 03:45am in Hove, due to this constant ‘humming’. It’s like a distant truck engine turning over and over and over with strong, pulsating vibrations felt in the inner ear. Really weird and quite distracting . The sound comes and goes too, so you think it’s stopping and the noise starts to quieten down… and then it comes back again as if it never left.
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That is exactly as I describe it…. really disturbs sleep doesn’t it. Only heard it since the wind farm and I’ve lived in Hangleton and Hove all my life.
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Hi
I’ve just started to heat this strange noise.
It’s a low pulsing hum that seems to get louder and then fade a little but constant.
I live in grand avenue hove and became aware of it early hours of Thursday morning the 14th September 2023.
Thought it was a one off some kind of machinery running in the distance .
But 2am this morning it’s still going.
Not so aware of it during the day.
Maybe it’s still present but drowned out by the noise of daytime life ?
Very strange and aggravating.
Once you hear it you can’t un hear it and feel constantly aware.
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In seven dials, I have been hearing this constant nocturnal hum for the last few weeks, I thought it was my neighbors having washing machines on, but they have not. It doesn’t wake me up but if I hear it before falling asleep, I can get to sleep at all. And I fee tensions on my body and face, that I actually realise I have when the vibration stops suddenly ( but constantly comes back few seconds/minutes later)
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People… we seriously need to do something!!
Having said that, I simply don’t know WHAT we need to do; perhaps an online petition…
I live in Saltdean and have been plagued by a CONSTANT humming noise since around February 2022.
The noise is driving me crazy; I hear it 24 hours a day… even when I’m sleeping! My only respite is during the day if I’m cooking (noisy cooker hood), watching TV, listening to music, or if I’m out of my flat! Interestingly, I’ve listened very carefully but can’t hear it outside of my home?
I have severely limited sleep most nights and I often lie awake feeling angry and frustrated because the hum completely invades all the space inside my head. I feel tired during the day and am extraordinarily stressed about what’s happening to me!
My husband has finally (thankfully!) heard the hum; only on occasion and always very late at night, which has saved my sanity because I was beginning to think there was seriously something wrong with me!
I have three potential suspects situated fairly close by to where I live:
1) A large electricity pylon
2) Wind turbines
3) BT boxes situated along the outside wall of my building; where BT engineers work on an almost daily basis
I also wonder if mobile phone masts and the introduction of 4G/5G could be linked to the hum, as the effects are wide reaching?
Something urgently needs to change; surely we cannot be expected to accept having to live like this?
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Hi Suzanne,
First of all, I fully empathise with you, as ‘the Hum’ affects my life very badly, too. I cannot sleep at all without taking sleeping tablets at night; during the day I am constantly anxious, at times nauseous, and not infrequently downright depressed because I am being subjected to this incessant low-frequency noise and vibration (LFNV). I completely zaps my energy all of the time.
I do hear the disturbance outdoors, too, plus I feel a vibration going through the whole of my body, both indoors and outdoors, wherever I go.
As to what we can do, here are a few suggestions:
– Network with other ‘hearers’ as much as you can, in as many ways and through as many channels as are available to you. There is a very good Facebook group I highly recommend joining: “The Hum Low Frequency Noise UK Support” (https://www.facebook.com/groups/1255848484830137/). It is vital that we support each other with advice, coping mechanisms, and joining forces in building campaigns to have the problem investigated and, if possible, stopped. It is also extremely helpful in getting informed on what has already been done to address the phenomenon of LFNV, through the aforementioned group, through general research online and any other sources you have access to.
– Raise awareness of ‘the Hum’. Do not be afraid to tell others what you perceive, even if most of them will look at you as if you were crazy – you are not. Neither do you suffer from tinnitus (actually, you may do, as well as hearing ‘the Hum’, but the two are two entirely different and separate phenomena). Also, put an ad in your local magazine, or put up flyers in your area, to find others locally who are affected and start a database and/or network. It is sometimes easier identifying and connecting with other ‘hearers’ when you have that personal contact.
– Speak to as many health professionals, scientists, researchers and politicians you can access. Alert them to the problem; help them to understand it; help to describe it and its effects on human beings. Most of those with the power to make a difference or to support our cause are unaware of what is going on.
– Also, get yourself as much professional support as you can. Personally, I have reached out for both medical help (medication, tests, examinations, with the appendant documentation) and psychological expertise to manage my life with what is essentially round-the-clock extreme stress and torture. This, in turn, makes more professionals aware of the phenomenon, giving it more of a chance to be taken seriously and one day enter the mainstream.
Bearing in mind that this problem is not going to be addressed overnight, let alone stopped, it is prudent to prepare yourself for the longer haul and make sure that you have the resources you need to enable you to live your life as fully as you can even with this madness going on.
Indicentally, because of the match with my own lived experience, I personally believe that the underground gas network with its compressors, turbines, pumps etc is the most likely cause for the LFNV. Interestingly, I have heard the exact same noise, and felt the vibration, in other places in the UK, too, not only in Brighton. However, elsewhere I do not hear or feel it to the same excessive degree. Brighton has always been the loudest and most violent for me.
I wish you the very best, and do not hesitate to get in touch with me through my dedicated Hum email address if you would like to connect in person: thehumbrighton@gmail.com
(As info for anyone reading this: I am a user of this forum, NOT the person running it!)
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Hi Suzanne, I also live in Saltdean. When we first moved here around 13 years ago I couldn’t hear a hum, everything was peaceful. The hum and vibration for me started after mains gas pipes were replaced in the streets (not in our house) outside, so I think this could be the cause of the disturbance for me.
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Hi Karen, This has been the case for me as well, in central Brighton. The noise and vibration started around the time when the bright yellow plastic (and much bigger) gas pipelines were laid in our road, replacing the old, heavy, metal and much smaller old service gas pipelines.
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Yes coming to the conclusion it might be the gas pipe infrastructure. I live in Westdene house built on chalk rock. Was very loud for me last night, it’s also very loud I have noticed at withdene sports centre where I saw some gas distribution infrastructure interestingly. Here it very strongly when in a parked car outside my house or at the sports centre also. No idea how we get this issue investigated! Have been sleeping with Bluetooth eye mask and headphones for several years now. Only way I can handle it
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I can fully relate, Steve. It’s just like that for me, too.
Not sure whether this comment is of much help, I simply wanted to express that there are more of us having the exact same experience. Surely, there must be a way all sufferers can get together, start a campaign and put some pressure on those responsible for the problem?
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We have a hum in Bodmin. Some people can hear it, others can’t. It is on from around 6pm and continues through the night, sometimes carrying on into the next day. It is outside the house and covers most of Bodmin (a small town in Cornwall). The council do not seem keen to investigate and say that I must do this! I have done my research and reckon it comes from a new lorry park that opened in the summer (2023), the humming started then. If I am away from home there is no hum. Occasionally there is a quiet night which is bliss. (No quiet nights for 3 weeks now). It used to be a quiet town and you could only hear nightingales and owls at night, now no bird sounds at night.
Ear plugs have no effect, but leaving a fan on helps with the sleep problem. A radio on low can help but the music isn’t always restful. It seems wrong that I have to add noise and a quiet night is a rarity.
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Dear Kadasan, I live in Thomasville, NC USA, 27360. I’ve heard the “HUM” since @ Thanks giving, end of November, 2015 & Almost always about 3am. Last nite I noticed it again. It was really LOUD & even LOUDER @ 8:30-9am, EST. It stopped or hot very low Abt 9:30am STOPPED for @17mins, then started up real low again. Some (only @2% of the World’s population) people can hear it, they are called “The Listeners”. A book called that has been written. It dznt bother me physically or mentally, that I’m aware of. Just my CURIOSITY!!! Lots of interesting theories on where it’s coming from & what it is. Google & you will see that you & I are NOT ALONE. It’s been reported World-wide since the early 1950’s, in England first. I Would love to hear more from you Abt how it affects you, physically & mentally. You may contact me @ beshearsfrankie@ gmail.com., ifu would like to discuss & exchange ideas & info. We can “Mutually” wonder why nothing is being done to stop it ir even investigate it, since the early 1950’s.
…
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I live in Bromley Kent low humming noise from bout 12 to 5 30 in morning Making me mad
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I’ve heard this low continuous hum since January 2022 every night from around 11:30 pm. It increases in sound volume from 2:30 am to 4:30 am then starts to decrease in volume and seems to dissolve into surrounding background noise by 7am. It sounds like a low truck engine continuously running or ship engine running. The noise seems to hit my eardrums and it’s impossible to sleep. Sometimes it can be pulsating like a low wave frequency. It feels like it penetrates my heart. I walk around the house and open the windows doors at 3:30am to see where the sound is coming from. It’s worse when the wind blows from the south but i can’t tell if it’s a sound in the air or a sound frequency or coming from utilities that might be buried or some type of sonar. I live in Shoreham and hear this in this location. My initial thoughts of the cause were the new off-shore wind farm, as I didn’t hear it before it was built or the big dredging boats that go back and forth to the wind farm area as they are super loud when there are two boats in the harbour. It would be beneficial if any environmental sound academics could try and resolve this sound or recommend a good pair of earplugs! Thank you.
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Exactly that…. Drives me mad… I find the only way to mask it is with a tower fan on throughout the night. I find that ear plugs don’t help with the vibration.
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Agreed. Have tried every ear-plug going but none block out the noise – it still travels straight through me! I’ve said previously and I’m almost certain the noise is related to underground power supplies – electricity probably. I get that people living close to wind-turbines are only hearing it since they’ve been built but the power has to run from there to somewhere. Also using a tower-fan to block the noise out and now I can’t sleep without it. Are any of our comments being noted by anyone who may be able to investigate further or do we complain in vain? 😦
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I have no idea but probably in vane! It’s just so disruptive to sleep, thank goodness for the tower fan!
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This problem is real, widespread – and sadly not taken seriously by the authorities at all, which is why ‘hearers’ (an estimated 2-4% of the worldwide population, although the real number is more likely to be around 10%) have to be proactive in having it investigated.
There are two informative and quite active Facebook groups I can recommend:
1) https://www.facebook.com/groups/1255848484830137/
2) https://www.facebook.com/groups/678495020211528/
There is also this website, which is extremely comprehensive and educational:
https://www.therealworldhum.ca/
Those who hear this noise often have their lives, in the very least their sleep and thereby their health, severely disrupted. It is imperative that we take action to have something done about low-frequency noise, which is as yet completely unregulated.
Please consider being proactive, informing yourselves and helping in any way you can to educate yourselves, and the general public, and to make the authorities aware of (y)our suffering. It is only by speaking up and by taking action that we can hope to regain quietness in our lives. Your voice counts!!! Do what you can.
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Data:
1-“every night from around 11:30 pm. It increases in sound volume from 2:30 am to 4:30 am then starts to decrease in volume and seems to dissolve into surrounding background noise by 7am”
2-“super loud when there are two boats in the harbour”
3-“shouth wind2
4-“environmental sound academics”
Answers:
1-Typical nighttime temperature inversion (produces sound refraction..at night as ground temperature decreases)
2-Sounds like ship engines and “I see a ship in the harbour”. What else?
3-Source directionality: shouth. Everything fits
4-Osborne Reynolds: atmospheric refraction of sound:1876.
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Cold air over warm water (the winter situation) transfers more wind energy to the water and builds higher wave than does warm air over cold water (the summer situation). When cold air blows over warmer water, it heats, lifts off the water surface and is replaced by higher-velocity wind from above.26 Oct 2019… following on from my previous comments.. this would explain why the winter colder months seem worse as there are bigger waves producing bigger vibrations
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Yes. While you do make valid and scientifically sound observations, the issue of hum is widespread and not confined to areas solely by the sea or bodies of water. I live in Haywards Heath and experience the hum on a daily basis. It’s currently the loudest it’s ever been. I have attributed the hum to power sources underground and stand by that. Although I’ve no means of measuring this myself, I have noticed that there seems to be a lot of roadworks for electricity and power networks in the area. My theory is that the more populated the area, the more power is needed, therefore creating a louder hum. I’ve been abroad three times this and each time taken note of any similar noise in the area. The first time away I heard no such hum and was staying in an apartment by the sea but on an old golf course. There was very little underground power cabling and the surrounding area was not largely populated- less than 50 residents. The second time was at a hilltop resort on a Greek island. Though the resort was fairly large, the surrounding area was again not largely populated. I did not hear the hum here either. The third time I stayed in an apartment by the sea in a largely populated area. There was a significant hum but not where near as loud as inexperience on a daily basis here in Haywards Heath. So, while I accept that the hum can be attributed to weather and bodies of water and even worsened by various combinations of the two, I do not think that is the source of our misery. The issue isn’t being taken seriously enough by the council and I myself am going to investigate who I can escalate the issue to as this really is becoming a health issue for me. Not just my physical health and lack of sleep it results in but my emotional and mental health where I dread going to bed or having a “quiet” night in.
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Hi Michaela, What you say makes a lot of sense to me because I am in a similar miserable situation. ‘The Hum’ is a serious risk to my physical and mental health, yet authorities send you from pillar to post, without anyone taking charge or being willing to investigate the problem further and help sufferers. For this reason it is important that ‘Hum Hearers’ combine forces, network with each other and build strength in numbers. We need to coordinate our approach as any one of us on their own will very quickly exhaust any avenues open to them. If you are interested in connecting, please send me an email on: thehumbrighton@gmail.com. There is also a very good Facebook group called “The Hum Low Frequency Noise UK Support” which I can recommend becoming a member of.
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https://www.kalw.org/news/2021-11-01/the-hum-a-worldwide-mystery-sound-explained?_amp=true
Interesting article about how they hunted the sound in Australia down to a local air vent , sounds like we need an Acoustical Engineer to investigate !
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I have recently moved in a top floor flat in Brighton Marina. Have noticed the sound in the last 2 days. Tonight it went on all night, struggled to sleep. I noticed that the noise is coming from above the head, like some sort of vent noise, closer to the roofs of Brighton buildings. Appears that the roof vents are making the noise, perhaps have become clogged up and/or some components have become loose in it. I’m gonna try and contact someone who oversees the building.
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I moved from Hove seafront to near the top of Elm Grove in Hanover in the summer and started noticing the low level hum at night then. It seems to be getting worse to me. I sleep with earplugs and this does nothing to block out the hum as it’s more of a vibration then a sound even. My husband also hears it and it’s driving us a bit mad. We never heard it when we lived on the seafront. I notice it less during the day as there are other distracting sounds, but it’s always there, just really amplified at nightime. I just want to know what it is!
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Hi Laura,
I entirely empathise with your situation. It is exactly the same for me.
I found the following Facebook page of great interest: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1255848484830137
According to some people who have extensively investigated the problem, sometimes over years or even decades, the root cause of the noise could be the gas network with its associated machinery (underground pumps, compressors, generators etc). What is more, gas pipelines have a safety shield (kind of a ‘jacket’ around the pipes) that vibrates due to the pressure at which the gas is being transported over thousands of miles. This vibration transmits to the ground on which we stand, walk and build houses (buildings amplify the noise and the vibration), and that vibration, as well as the sound, can travel across dozens of miles.
I am no expert but have been suffering from ‘the Hum’ for three years and done a fair bit of reading around the subject. Of all the explanations I have found, the gas theory best correlates with my own experience of the noise and vibration, its qualities and its behaviour. There are other possible root causes, and I am keeping and open mind. However, having a working theory – in my case, I believe it is likely that gas or another energy source is behind the problem – can be a good starting point for further investigations.
The authorities are sadly not taking much notice of ‘Hum’ hearers, so it is incumbent upon sufferers to be proactive, to network and to build strength in numbers. For anyone who is interested in doing so, I suggest you join the aforementioned FB group or email thehumbrighton@gmail.com.
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I think you are right, this theory fits perfectly with my experience. Drives me mad at night but really helps to have some understanding. What a horrible thing to have inflicted on us… impacts on sleep and wellbeing.
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I have to agree it does seem to be the most likely source in my opinion especially as some of our houses in brighton built on chalk. Strangely I did seeem to hear it on Ditchling beacon car park. No idea if gas system runs around there!
Very loud in Withdene sports centre car park also and there appears to be gas infrastructure there
Particularly bad last few days for me
Best Regards
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Hi Steven,
Please see my recent replies to other posts.
The low-frequency noise and vibration (LFNV) you hear and feel is NEVER localised only to where there is actual gas infrastructure; they travel for dozens of miles. For example, if the source should be, say, in Withdean where you hear it very loudly, that same noise/vibration will definitely travel all the way to Ditchling Beacon, and dozens of miles beyond that, too. This is why it is so hard to get away from ‘the Hum’ completely. Britain is a small and narrow island, meaning you don’t have enough landmass to get away far enough from the source of the LFNV to experience quietness again. Which is a pretty bleak prospect, since this phenomenon is so destructive to hearers’ lives.
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Thanks for the link to the facebook group – have just requested to join. That’s very interesting re the gas network – we live in Saltdean and the hum and vibration started after repairs to the gas network here. I’d always thought there must be a link but got nowhere when I asked about it.
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Hi Karen,
I am glad you found the information useful.
I, too, began to hear ‘the Hum’ after new gas pipes had been installed in our road, pipes that were much larger than the old ones, and consisted of a kind of plastic rather than metal.
Remember that the noise and vibration could also come from gas mainlines, not just the domestic pipelines leading to houses and businesses. Gas is transported across thousands of miles, even from places as far-flung as Russia, and the infrastructure involved do to this is huge. What is more, the noise and vibration don’t remain localised to where the actual gas flow is. It transmits over dozens of kilometers without really changing its character, intensity or loudness.
Individuals working in the industry are often ignorant of the problem, or unaware of how things hang together, so I am not surprised your enquiries did not lead you anywhere. However, as an industry as such, it is likely that the problem IS known about, not least because sufferes have been active for decades trying to investigate and stop ‘the Hum’. The trouble is, huge amounts of money are involved, as well as jobs and politics, so there isn’t a great deal of interest in taking ‘hearers’ seriously or doing anything to help them. This is why action needs to come from those affected by the problem, and we need to come together to tackle this; otherwise nothing is going to change. Individuals on their own very quickly hit a brick wall. This is why I am saying, there is strength in numbers. Connect with others who hear this noise, too – in any way your imagination can come up with! Get informed, get connected, be proactive.
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I have heard this hum for the first time last night 27th November in Powis Square BN1. Approximately a 5 second burst every 20 minutes followed by a 1 second softer one. I looked out my window as it reminded me of a commercial vehicle, I once saw that lowered a pad onto the tarmac and violently vibrated. Maybe to gather sonar information on stuff underground. I couldn’t see anything but completely identify with this strange story. It did wake me and kept me awake from 2am.
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Posted earlier, it’s mid morning and still happening every 20 min approximately in Powis Sq BN1. I’ve seen Railtrack using a massive machine to settle new track into those grey , angular stones they use ( scalpings I think they’re called). It does it by violently vibrating each sleeper. Maybe if this machine operates in a tunnel or deep cutting it could replicate this strange sound. I don’t know but would like to find out what’s causing this intrusive nuisance.
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I’m in Hove too. Currently awake at 5am with the low rumbling pulsating noise and another higher pitched noise that sounds like a refrigerator vibrating.
I’ve heard theories that it’s the port, underground tunnels being bored, (for the windfarm or other infrastructure), electrical noise where wiring is vibrating, air con units.
All I know is that it’s loud and difficult to ignore once you tune in, and it’s often in the early hours.
Is it possible to find out if there’s any underground drilling going on or port machinery etc going on at this time and make them do it during the day instead?
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I live on Silwood Road in Hove and been woken up at night/early morning, and heard it around 11pm. It’s like a pulse, and sometimes a constant noise which eventually goes. I wouldn’t call it a rumble or vibration…more a pulsing whine.
I thought it was my boiler at first but it’s not. I heard it when I was walking along Western Road in the daytime too.
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Morning,
I am in Hove too, up near Hove park, and found last few nights v loud but it is also constant and like a pulsating vibration. The more I research looks increasingly like gas pipeline syndrome – this guy in the US measured and followed and mapped gas pipeline networks and found a connection- cant post the youtube link unfortunately
I guess B&H council will be one of the first to phase out gas and gas pipelines but that could be 20+ years.
I recently moved from London a few months ago, never heard the hum, heard it from day 1 in Hove. Partner can’t hear it at all ! Interestingly when I am hungover I cannot hear the noise at all, like my brain too tired to tune into it…. Additionally looks like CBT therapy has been trialed with him sufferers in UK to good success – read the paper results here –
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1260/0263-0923.31.3.193
I have reached out to the professor to see if they can share the tools as it looks like it was an online course but in trial phase and no longer available unfortuantly.
I used to live under the Heathrow fly past when I was a child and your brain learns to completely phase this noise out over time as it doesn’t think of it as a threat, if we practice CBT / meditation / positive associations with the hum our brain hopefully will quieten and phase out in time (why I suspect hungover tune out as don’t have the energy to focus on it, our primitive brains think noises are a threat so we must change the emotional connection to them) .
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I live on Lewes road Brighton and am being driven mentally ill by this evil humming noice. Really aware of it from early December 2022. What can we do?
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Hi Daniel,
I am sorry that you suffer so much, and I fully empathise, as I am going through the same experience.
Have a look through the previous entries on this forum, including any replies people have left, because I have already made quite a number of suggestions what we can do. None of it is a quick fix, but I don’t believe that this problem will be easy or quick to fix, sadly.
In the meantime, do whatever you can to help you learn to live with the stress, strain and trauma ‘the Hum’ brings. It is possible – I do it every day.
Best of wishes,
Gabriele
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I heard a Hum this morning, around 4.30, it woke me up and for about 10 mins I listened until it subsided.
We live nr Varndean college on one side of a valley so it can be hard to tell where sounds are coming from. It was a sort of throbbing sound, quite disturbing.
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Hi Alison,
Yes, I would also describe it as throbbing. Or sometimes I call it pulsating. I can tell for certain that, for me, it is coming from underground, because it is accompanied by a vibration that is clearly felt from under my feet, moving up my legs and into my whole body.
I am so sorry to learn that you are suffering, too.
Best wishes,
Gabriele
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I have also noticed a distinct increase in the hum since the weather started to get colder again – which is a pattern I’ve noticed over several years, with the hum largely disappearing in the summer months for me.
This could lend itself to the theory of gas pipelines being (perhaps one of) the main sources of this noise, given that there would be greater demand for gas in the colder months and so it could be possible that the pipelines are more highly pressurised at this time to cope with increased demand. This would likely mean more compressor activity at pumping stations that could be sending increased vibrations through all structural elements of the network. Someone who works in the gas industry would surely know the answer to this, or a Google search might help.
Poster “SH” above mentions gas eventually being phased out (20 yrs+), but it is more likely the pipelines will be modified to accommodate some form of hydrogen gas to replace the current methane.
As always, the problem is tracking down the source. If the source can be identified, then solutions can be pursued. Unfortunately your local council environmental health department are under-resourced and not technically capable enough to investigate in the way that would be required for a problem of this magnitude, especially when so few are affected, relatively speaking.
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Hi Hummer,
Unlike you, I sadly never get any respite from the noise and vibration at all. I hear and feel it ALL OF THE TIME. I do, however, agree with the theory of “compressor activity at (gas) pumping stations […] sending vibrations through all structural elements of the network”. I do believe that this is the source of the problem, at least in my case.
Let’s not forget that often there isn’t the will to investigate the problem. Councils don’t want to invest the money, as they are perpetually short of funds and staff as well as equipment, and the industries fear for their livelihoods and profits if anyone gets too close to the source of the problem, so there is little interest in doing something about ‘the Hum’. Meanwhile, thousands of lives are destroyed by the relentless hell ‘hearers’ are put through.
We have to keep looking for ways to identify more suffers; we have to come together, combine forces, lobby, campaign.
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‘THE HUM’ BROUGHT TO PARLIAMENT
More and more people (not just) on this forum are asking: What can we do about this low-frequency noise and vibration (LFNV) that increasingly more of us are hearing and feeling, and that is having such a significant, sometimes devastating, impact on our lives?
A group of ‘Hum hearers’ in Haslington, Cheshire, got their MP on board and received public funding to have ‘the Hum’ investigated in their area. What is more, the MP went on to speak about the phenomenon in Parliament:
https://www.chronicleseries.com/parliament-hears-about-the-haslington-hum/
It comes as no surprise that the Institute of Acoustics, which carried out the investigation in Haslington, is likely to return an outcome of ‘inconclusive’ as far as the origin of the noise is concerned. More extensive, and much more expensive, measurements than were carried out there are needed to truly follow the disturbance back to its source and to pinpoint it accurately, with evidence that will be accepted by whichever industry is causing the trouble.
However, I know what it took to get even this far, because I am in touch with the Haslington group. The fact that they managed to get their MP on board, to secure financial support for the investigation, and to have the issue brought to Parliament is a major achievement. It took years to accomplish this, and I am glad, proud and thankful to see that the group have made it this far. It means we can go further still – and of course we must in order to get the problem properly addressed and hopefully stopped.
It takes a combined effort of many individuals to tackle the problem of LFNV. Each of us on their own will not get very far, because every authority you approach will just refer you to someone else. No single place will assume responsibility, leaving citizens in the frustrating position of going from pillar to post. Unfortunately for us, low-frequency noise is currently not regulated, so there is no legal framework to push for action – yet. Getting such regulation in place is one of the many tasks involved in resolving the issue.
The fact that this MP was prepared to take up the mantle, to help his constituents and to raise the topic in Parliament is an excellent start. We need to do whatever we can to keep up the momentum and make more things happen.
If you are among the growing number of people who are asking what can be done to stop ‘the Hum’, please take a careful look at the previous posts on this forum, including any ‘replies’ or ‘comments’ left straight underneath each individual entry. They already contain some great suggestions as to what each and every one of us can do to further the cause, and of course you may get your own ideas from that, which you can then feed back here.
If you have already done that, here is something else you can do: We could start to have conversations around what has already been done, and what else we think we can do. More importantly, you could share what YOU yourself have already done, what results you have had, what else YOU are prepared to take upon yourself, because it takes a synergistic effort to have this LFNV addressed. We need to pool our ideas, strength, resources, experience, our preparedness to get active and support each other in our endeavours.
Make no mistake: You cannot simply sit back and wait for others to do something about this. It is incumbent upon us as sufferers to take the initiative, to help ourselves, each other and everyone who is in the same boat as us. If we don’t do it, nobody will. We are the ones who suffer, and we are the ones who need to act. As those who can perceive what is going on, we are perfectly placed to share our experience.
Ask yourself: What can I do to create awareness of ‘the Hum’ (because there is a great need for this)? Can I help to build a network of sufferers, bring people together, identify sufferers and bring them to the table? A great many people are bound to suffer ‘the Hum’ in silence (no pun intended) because they don’t know where to turn to, or what to make of the phenomenon, or how to even start finding some answers. They may also not be very good at articulating what they are going through because the phenomenon is unusual and hard to describe, plus individualy are often isolated in their experience because those around them cannot hear what they hear. These people need to be found, for their sake, and to strengthen our numbers. We need every single voice on board, and we need people that are prepared to get active, to think for themselves, to get their hands dirty, invest some time, energy, intelligence etc.
The Haslington group prove what can be done when people come together to lend weight to the efforts to have the problem of LFNV taken seriously, brought to wider awareness and discussed. The fact that someone stood up in Parliament and spoke the issue of LFNV into existence in the halls of power gives me hope and renewed energy.
PLEASE consider becoming part of the momentum in real, tangible, active, practical terms!
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Been really loud last few nights by Preston Circus, when i have finally gotten to sleep I get woken up by it again. Seems to really kick in from around 10:45pm until 8am, when it seems to just stop or become very quiet. Rain or shine, makes no difference, it hums equally as loud at anytime of the year. I’m learning to tune out from it, but it’s not always possible, especially when it’s so deep it makes my eardrums vibrate
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The weather/seasons make no difference for me, either, but the time of day definitely does. However, unlike in your case, it tends to get quieter in the evenings for me, and louder again in the early hours of the morning. It behaves as if someone presses a button and the intensitiy of the noise and vibration either dims down or ramps up (but sadly, it never stops). It’s a controlled mechanical phenomenon. When it is particularly bad, it makes my eardrums vibrate, too – and my whole body. Often it tugs at my heart, my brain, my lungs, my innards – everything. It is whole-body hell.
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Currently awake at 4am – moved to Southwick a year and a half ago and always get kept up by this noise in the middle of the night. Usually when it is cold and very still.
Tonight it is actually hurting my ears! We usually stay in our converted attic room where the noise is really loud. I’ve come downstairs tonight and can’t hear anything!?
I also use to live in Bristol when younger (about ten years ago) and could also hear ‘The Bristol Hum’ which I then put down to conspiracy theories and lots of other stuff I couldn’t explain! Typical that the two places I’ve lived I can hear it and it impacts my sleep so much.
These comments and theories have helped me this evening and I’m glad I’ve found this group but still cannot believe nothing has been proven or sorted for this!
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New-ish residents in Hove here, we both heard this for the first time around 5-6am this morning and it’s continued on-off all day today. It undulates gently, coming and going in waves every few seconds, and is noticeably louder with the window open so yes, pretty confident this isn’t ‘in our heads’! Tolerating it by playing music whenever possible, this will drive us absolutely to distraction in the long run if it doesn’t cease as we are both bad sleepers. Not great, but heartened to discover we aren’t alone!
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I heard the hum for the 1st time on the night of 9th of feb. I stuck my ear to every wall in every room of my flat in Hove and it certainly is louder/more present in certain rooms. The north facing ones it seems. Ir is constant but more noticeable at night when the streets are quieter. It sounds like a giant fridge that’s constantly on. Low vibration Two tonal sound.
I’ve asked all my direct neighbours if they had installed any new electrical appliances or heard the noise but apart from one hearing it vaguely, I feared I was going crazy!
Needless to say am hugely relieved to find this blog. Very much hope it stops sooner rather than later and the source is revealed…
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Hi Val,
Your story is very similar to mine. I hear a two-tonal sound (albeit since 2019); I have asked all of my neighbours re. any new appliances; there is a pretty rough vibration accompanying the sound; and apart from me there aren’t any others in my immediate circle of family and friends who hear or feel this. It appears that only 2-4% of the worldwide population are capable of perceiving low-frequency sounds/vibration, although the real figure is likely to be closer to 10%. That still makes us a minority that needs to fight to have our voices heard. Prepare to join the campaign if you would like something done about this nuisance, otherwise nothing is going to change. If you are interested in getting in touch, my email address is: thehumbrighton@gmail.com.
Best wishes,
Gabriele
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“It sounds like a giant fridge that’s constantly on. Low vibration Two tonal sound.”
That is exactly what I hear! Sometimes I confuse it with my own fridge, which can resonate through the house, but is easy to rule out.
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I live very close to BHASVIC, there is a loud hum every day for about an hour from 6am, times differ but usually at dawn. It appears to come from the college.
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Hello, I live in Hangleton and I can hear a vibration noise right now outside of my house looking south east in the direction of Hove Park or maybe the Hove railway line (9.28pm). I woke at 1.30am this morning to the same noise. At first I thought it was a motorbike revving, then I realised it was too loud for that – more like a police helicopter. After a while I noticed the noise changed frequency. It got louder and then softer, very similar to a drilling sound and like it was being carried on the wind. It actually sounds like a mobile generator but a very loud one. And one that pulses occasionally. It is very distracting. I have only just noticed it today. I have searched for local late night roadworks and other engineering works which might explain the strange noise. Fortunately I found this site. Whatever it is, it is audible now, and it was clearly audible between 1.30am and 3am this morning.
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I moved house in December and only started hearing it 2 nights ago. Just a low vibrating humming that keeps me awake unless I block it out. I live in whitehawk and it’s constant at night.
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Anyone else hearing the hum tonight in Brighton or the surrounding areas? It’s 11.15pm now, and the hum seems to have been going for the last 2 or 3 hours without let up. How annoying…
Reason I ask, is because the traffic to this blog has spiked today to more than 20 times the usual daily traffic!
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I live in Saltdean and have been tormented by a 24 hour humming noise for more than a year; I can hear it outside right now. It’s invasive and often feels unbearable.
I woke up at 2am on Friday morning and I couldn’t get back to sleep; so yet another day of me feeling completely exhausted! My experience is that if I wake up during the night, the quieter streets and absence of traffic causes the humming to vibrate even more deeply inside my head.
My husband, who previously couldn’t hear the humming, can now hear it too.
While we can’t be sure, we think the humming may be linked to the road outside our building being dug up for protracted gas pipe works. Just a theory.
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Hi Suzanne, I’m in Saltdean too, and the hum started for me after gas pipe works in our street some years ago. Prior to that work there was no hum at all.
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Same for me, Karen (in central Brighton).
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Hi Suzanne, see my reply to Karen. I don’t think it’s the works around the gas network in the street, it is the gas network itself that causes this noise and vibration (the combination of underground pipes, compressors, pumps, generators etc.) I don’t only hear/feel it in Brighton but in other geographical locations as well, if sometimes to a lesser extent.
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Yes i live in Portslade and the low frequency humming is keeping me awake a night and driving me crazy.
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I have been suffering with this low frequency humming/droning that rises a little in pitch and then lowers again for at least the last year but it’s getting worse now. I used to think it was a neighbour distantly snoring but it’s way too continuous fo that I I hear it during the day as well now i.e it’s just past 7pm and I can hear it. I live in Hove in one of the avenues.
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I live in Portslade. And the humming has affected my sleep on a daily basis for the past 2years. The lack of sleep has affected my mental health and has contributed to physical health with many headaches and migraine’s.
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I live in Saltdean and this constant humming has traumatised me, day and night, for almost 2 years. I’m exhausted.
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AP and Suzanne, you describe the experience that many of us share. Question is, what are you prepared to do about it? It’s no good if we all just complain and exchange the lamentable facts. Nothing is going to change unless we take action. Ideas? I am ready to pitch in with any campaigns anyone would like to contribute to, but no one can do it alone. We need to come together to form a force to be reckoned with.
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I live on Blatchington road Hove and I’m sitting here listening to it right now. I hear it in my lounge, on the south side of the building, pointing towards the coast and not the north side where my bedroom is, thankfully. I would describe it as the sound you get if you blow across the top of a bottle. Low pitch. Constant. I hear it when the traffic is quiet. I think it exists 24/7 but gets drowned out during the day by the noise of traffic and people etc. I first noticed it several years ago. I got up in the night as I couldn’t sleep and sat on the sofa in the lounge and could hear it. In the dead of night it’s very noticeable.
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Hello
I started to hear this low hum around 4-5 nights back. It’s the most irritating vibration hum. Do we know anything yet? I’m up by the fiveways, a few roads up, near the woods. Has it started recently for anyone else? Surely is goes away, it’s only been a few days and it goes all day and all night. I put my cooker on with the door open last night because it was the only thing I could think of 😂. What on Earth is it? Helllp!!!
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Hi Hayley, It could very well be that you are hearing the pumps, compressors, generators and governors of the underground gas network, and feel the vibration that the pipes emit as the gas is shot through them at high speed. The phenomenon is also known as GPS, Gas Pipeline Syndrome. The noise and vibration can travel unaltered over long distances, so it doesn’t necessarily have to originate at a site near you, although in a densely populated area like Brighton & Hove, where there is a lot of gas traffic, it is likely that you live near a site of origin. For some lucky people is does go away, or becomes intermittent. For others, like me, it is here to stay. I’ve had to live with this since July 2019, and there is no end in sight. I never even get a second’s break from this hell and torture. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news. If you continue to suffer, I recommend joining support networks, for example on Facebook. Might see you there!
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It’s currently 3.03am October 15th 2023
I am hearing the humming noise. I randomly woke up in the middle of the night to turn my heating off, then suddenly something happens outside. There seems to be this sound of an engine running but really loud, followed by gushes of wind. Only for me to check the weather app and it says it’s a clear night. I got very scared at first as there was screaming and shouting for a bit, which took my mind places and made me think there was some kind of natural disaster going on. I’m currently staying at the Leonardo Royal Hotel, I can hear Night life on and off so I am able to distinguish sounds of that compared to this strange low frequency vibcration /humming
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Hi ? It’s 1.30 am kemptown area I hear it too weirdly when my windows are open but when i close them it gets less or put earplugs in … this isn’t the first time I hear it and when I posted in next door asking if anyone else does , people said no… I got my ears checked and nothing is wrong … it’s driving me crazy I don’t know what to do and came across this article
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Omagh hum: Council could call in noise specialists:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-67410171
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Started to hear it in February 2024. We live in Cuckmere Way, facing the valley. Just hear it at night. Only hear if from one room and when we open the window.
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Interesting Hum Video (March 2024):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zy_ctHNLan8
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Thanks for the link to the YouTube video! That’s the most useful thing I’ve seen/ read about the hum in all the years I’ve been suffering (around 5). I’ve commented on this thread previously about what I thought it was and I’m even more convinced now that it is underground utilities.
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That video, in only 8 days since it was published, has already received over 1.5 million views and over 15,000 comments!
Not sure how or why I came across it as I wasn’t searching for anything related, but it does indicate that this is a very widespread problem. Looking forward to reading a few more of the video comments…
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Fully agree, Michaela. And I’ve been hearing it for about 5 years now, too.
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I live in Queens Park area of Brighton and can lately hear a intermittent humming noise at home…sounds a bit like there is an engine room nearby. Worse in the evening, but can hear at all times of day. May consider selling up and moving if this goes on…..
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I hear it everywhere. But I have figured out that its caused by something world wide. Although its constant and can communicate effortlessly. It trigger a humming sound in our heads. Like a low frequency vibration outside our homes that it produced inside our ears. Its an illusion that its actually outside of us. But it is a presence around us. Collective higher consciousness perhaps.
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Hello everyone. I live in Hollingdean, off the fiveways. For me it has only started in the last few months and initially was just short, intermittent hums at night ( only started noticing it when I go to bed about 11pm).
Last night was the worst, low and constant and getting louder. After searching the house high and low at 1 am, and standing outside in my dressing gown to see if it was coming from the street lamps, I eventually fell asleep.
It is very annoying and my ear plugs, used to cut out my partners snoring, make it worse. It get into you inner ear and takes hold. To date my partner does not hear it.
I sympathise with those who have experienced this for longer than I have.
Regards Valerie
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Welcome, Valerie.
I think we’ve all gone through that ‘trying to find the source’ process around the house and local area, unfortunately to little effect.
For me, the hum has again really become more apparent lately, rather than the more sporadic occurrences. Over the last 2-3 weeks it seems to be constant, virtually 24 hours a day, and at times can be quite loud. I’m convinced something, somewhere, has been switched on or turned up.
Would be interesting to know if others have also noticed anything similar recently.
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Started hearing a hum last night and still can today – I live in the Montpelier area near Brighton Girls School. Haven’t ruled out tinnitus yet but that should be easy to do as soon as I leave the area. Pretty constant, something like a distant helicopter, tuned to a low ‘E’.
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yes I often hear that- I live north of Wish Park in Hove. It’s plagued me for several years, mostly at night when the house is quiet. I did wonder if to do with construction of the wind turbine farm, but I still hear it years on from that being finished. Oddly no one else can hear it in my house.
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We’ve also been struggling with this in the Montpelier/Powis area like several others. Ruled out every possibility in the immediate vicinity so feels like it must be something to do with utilities too. Have tried staying with friends in the local area and have still experienced the same thing (to a lesser degree) on some nights. We’re moving as a result and hoping we can escape this.
Has anyone contacted the Council/British Gas and had a response?
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