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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
National
Andrew Robinson

Mum has to listen to Coldplay to sleep after three years 'being driven crazy by hum'

A woman says she's close to a breakdown after being plagued by a mystery sound for three years - and listens to Coldplay to help her sleep.

Yvonne Conner has been left with daily headaches by the humming noise and is calling on her local council to take action.

The 51-year-old, from Holmfield, Halifax, said her husband and multiple neighbours can hear the noise - dubbed the 'Holmfield Hum' - but no-one can find the source.

She's had noise monitoring equipment in her house twice last year and this but with still no luck, reports Yorkshire Live.

Yvonne fears Calderdale Council will conclude it is not a 'statutory nuisance' and will close the case with no further action.

The professional dog walker has been pressing the local authority to release the latest findings from an independent acoustic consultant.

They put monitoring equipment from May 19 to 24.

Yvonne listens to Coldplay in order to sleep (Getty Images)

Yvonne has branded the lack of information as "disgusting" and a "disgrace".

She claims she has emailed the local authority several times for information and on July 6 received an apology for the delay from a member of the Environmental Health team.

On July 13, the council told Yvonne had it had received the acoustic consultant's report on July 8 "due to delays on the consultant's side" but hadn't had an opportunity to "assess the report and discuss the findings with the consultant and managers".

Yvonne said: "I am getting p****d off. Maybe their hands are tied, maybe a lot of work is going on, but they are not having to live like I am and the other people (affected by the hum).

"I have headaches now - right at the front of my head. I have had my ears checked and they are fine; I have normal hearing."

"Sometimes I think maybe I am being sensitive but, after three years, I don't think I am," Yvonne said.

She says the hum has been so bad that some nights she barely gets any sleep and she has resorted to putting on earphones to listen to Coldplay or 'rainforest' sounds.

Yvonne does get some respite during the day because she cannot hear the hum in her garden or when out in the countryside.

In some respects, she had learned to live with the humming noise, but she is desperate for it to stop. "It sent me nuts in the beginning," she recalled.

"There are days when it feels like it rattles my ears. It is a buffeting sound, like pressure buffeting my ear drums. I put on the TV or radio to drown it out. I have my Alexa on at night, playing rainforest sounds. The hum resonates through everything in the house."

Yvonne isn't the only person in Halifax to complain about the hum.

Yvonne wants the council to release the latest findings (BBC)

Visitors to her house have reported hearing it and around 50 other local people have been in touch to report their concerns. People as far away as Queensbury say they can hear it.

"It is a low-frequency sound. Anything it passes through it resonates. I want to stop it and sort it out."

Her campaigning, which has seen her story featured in newspapers and magazines, had led to people from across the world emailing and phoning. Some have suggested it could be caused by a large fan, or by a biomass boiler.

"I have had a lady on this morning (from Scotland) who says she has had enough. Mentally she is broken, she said. Whatever it is, these things (causing the hum) are all over the place. And they are not fit for human ears."

Yvonne's concerns have been taken up by local councillor Nikki Kelly who has asked Calderdale Council for an update on the private contractor's findings.

In a question to the council, she said: "To date, the findings have not been shared with residents, and no further action has been taken.

"The situation has been ongoing for an extensive period and has severely affected the mental health of residents. Please can an update be provided, and what actions are to be taken in addressing the 'Holmfield Hum'."

Cllr Jenny Lynn, Calderdale Council’s Cabinet Member for Public Services and Communities, said: "We understand that the alleged noises are distressing for some residents. We care about local people’s wellbeing and have listened to their concerns throughout our investigations.

"We have focused a significant amount of time and resources on this long-standing and complex case, including extensive efforts to try to identify the alleged noises. Challenges that have made noise detection difficult include the local topography, the mixed residential/commercial urban environment, and the fact that the alleged noises can’t be heard by everyone.

"Due to the complexity of the case and the impact on some residents, we asked an independent noise consultant to assess the outcome of our investigations. It has always been our intention to share the conclusion with the complainants, Ward Councillors and the MP, and we will do this as soon as possible, in line with our continued approach to keeping them updated throughout our investigations."

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