Halifax residents step up action against nuisance noise dubbed the Holmfield Hum

The low-frequency hum has been reported in and around Holmfield and Queensbury on the Halifax-Bradford border for almost the last 12 months.

The Courier reported last week how residents in a mile-and-a-half radius say they are “tortured” in their own homes by a humming sound that seems to resonate and vibrate.

It’s worse at night and the hum can’t be masked by earplugs or headphone music. It disrupts sleep and people say the stress of it is impacting on their mental health.

Residents have set up a Facebook group and have launched an online petition signed by more than 280 people. They are also planning a leaflet drop of local homes.

People say the noise has meant they have been unable to relax in their own homes during the pandemic and have reported headaches, sleep deprivation, “painful ears” and “brain fog.”

Calderdale and Bradford councils have both been investigating and it’s thought the noise may come from local business premises – however it is not clear which one.

Some people even believe there might be more than one hum! Residents have taken to recording the sounds outside local factories themselves in a bid to make the authorities take their complaints seriously.

A Courier reader suggested the hum might emanate from the Queensbury Tunnel where he said pumps had been installed to keep flood water levels down. He suggested generators used to power the pumps might be responsible with the sound amplified by the tunnel.

That theory was quashed by Graeme Bickerdike, engineering co-ordinator for the Queensbury Tunnel Society, who said: “The pumps installed to keep the tunnel de-watered were turned off in September 2018 following a legal dispute and have not been used since.

“No sound could emanate from the Holmfield end of the tunnel as the entrance is currently under 36ft (11 metres) of water. We can be confident that the hum is not associated with Queensbury tunnel.”

To sign the petition go to www.change.org/p/calderdale-metropolitan-bourgh-council-stop-the-holmfield-hum