Mysterious humming noise 'torturing' residents as nobody can work out where it's coming from

Fans of Breaking Bad will remember the third season episode 'Fly', where Walter White and Jesse Pinkman chase after a fly as it invades their meth lab.

The buzzing as it flies by their ears sends them insane as they look to squash the pest and save their illicit methamphetamine.

And while the small English town of Immingham is a long way from the fictional world of Heisenberg's Albuquerque, the problem of a weird background humming is also driving residents stir crazy.

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Immingham townsfolk - of which there are 10,000 - have complained for years about what they say is a low-level droning sound they can hear inside their homes.

The problem in the coastal town, in North East Lincolnshire, has even seen North East Lincolnshire Council investigate the matter.

But nothing has ever been found, and no one has been able to source where the issue is originating from.

One theory is that the problem comes from outside the local authority's boundary.

Resident Chloe Eccles said it has got that bad she could move away from the town for good.

She told the BBC: "As the years have gone on I've carried on hearing it and I thought I was crazy but other people can hear it too.

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"Especially in the last couple of months, it's got really loud.

"There's nothing that blocks it out, it's constant."

Another resident, Rachael Shead, said: "It's like a droning noise and goes on and on and on.

"I can hear it over the telly, and the rain and the wind."

On the investigation into sourcing where the problem originates, a council spokesperson said: "After initial contact with partners operating in the Immingham area, they've so far drawn a blank, although it could be coming from outside the borough.

"Any queries about noise must constitute a statutory nuisance for formal action to be instigated."

It's not the only town to experience such a weird problem with residents baffled by an odd, low-level noise in one rural northern village.

The problem started plaguing the village of Holmfield in Halifax, West Yorkshire, back in March 2020.

Dubbed the 'Holmfield Hum', some saw them develop shingles due to stress caused by the noise.

And just like with Immingham, the source could not be found with the council continuing investigations.

Similar problems have also been experienced by residents in Earl Shilton, Leicestershire, where a low-frequency droning sound kept residents awake.