A COLWALL man wants to get to the bottom of a mystery noise he has been hearing since he moved to the village.

John Gibson, of Cowl Barn Lane, has heard the strange humming on and off since January.

Mr Gibson says he can hear it at night in his living room and outside.

"It's a lowish note and on occasion it's accompanied by a lower note about four notes below the first one," he said.

Mystery hums have been heard in many parts of the world, most notably in Taos, New Mexico. The best-known example in this country is the Bristol Hum but others have been noted in Strathclyde, Cheshire, Hertfordshire and Birmingham.

One explanation for the noise is that it is caused by high-pressure gas distribution pipes. Another is that some people can "hear" electromagnetic energy and that the hums are caused by electrical transformers or power lines.

Mr Gibson said a neighbour could also hear the noise and claimed it was so loud he had to wear earplugs to sleep.

Mr Gibson speculated that the noise might have something to do with the railway tunnel through the hills not far from his home. He would be interested to hear from anyone who could help solve the mystery.

Ben White, of QinetiQ, said: "We have no reason to think that anything going on here will be causing a noise on the other side of the hill. We have in the past received complaints from people about noises and they are always fully investigated."