Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Mysterious Banging

Reader Tom of Westgate writes:

Have you noticed a loud banging in the air lately? I was kept awake by it last night from about 11pm, when I first noticed it, to about 2.30am, when it seemed to stop. It was a distant thud, almost like a huge gun firing every two seconds. I tried to record it on camcorder and dictaphone but it didn’t register at all. When I first heard it it sounded like the steady beat of dance music but after a bit I noticed it hadn’t changed.

I opened the window and listened and it was like the very ground was shaking with each strike, shuddering like the T-Rex scene in Jurassic Park. I am totally perplexed. The only thing I could think it might be was the boats that are doing the wind farm, doing the foundations. It seemed to be emanating from the direction of the sea but then again, would they do all that late at night? Perhaps it’s just a phenomenon up on the north side of the isle.

Any ideas? It was driving me to distraction last night and I want to know if anyone else heard it. I asked my flatmates this morning but they looked at me like I was mad. They probably don’t have trouble sleeping like me.


Hmmm. A mysterious, regular nighttime banging that shakes the whole room. What on earth could it be? Over to you luvvly readers!

21 comments:

Peter C said...

I also heard & felt that, & I live in Westbrook (near Margate train station)!

Anonymous said...

Its got to be the pile driving for the wind farm surely?

Anonymous said...

No its a pugilist rematch at the winter gardens...back to your corners.

Anonymous said...

Last night(the 29th)at about 12midnight,I could clearly hear the rythmic "banging". We live in Broadstairs.

Anonymous said...

At least north islanders only have to put up with banging. Manston want to fly 747s over Ramsgate all night.

Lil~Miss~Lunatic said...

I heard it in Ramsgate (by Christchurch) at around midnight, interrupted the film I was watching lol

To change the subject slightly was anyone else slightly scared going into Broadstairs yesterday? Reminded me of the film The Mist, the fields by North Foreland were just eerie and the whole thing just frightened me a little... I've seen the film adaptation of Stephen Kings The Mist!

denplan said...

yep - heard the banging in Birchington.

Anonymous said...

I heard it in ramsgate aswell, havent got a clue what it could be. ECR were you fondling the ol' todger again??

Anonymous said...

I heard it too.

I thought it was one those noises in the house like piping after the heating goes off, but it was definately coming from across the sea.

Maybe it is sponsored by infratil to make the windfarm the villian for a change

Richard Eastcliff said...

Nope, 11:42am. The old Eastcliff pile driver was sound asleep in the Egyptian cotton jim-jams all night.

Tom said...

"Its got to be the pile driving for the wind farm surely?"


That's what I had assumed.
It was really bloody loud but did seem to stop at about 2am.

Tom, Westgate.

fred said...

My first thought was that it might be that military firing range in Essex.

But it would be odd if they practiced firing at night.

Anonymous said...

I think it was SMUG banging his head on the wall in realisation that it is only a matter of time before 747's will be disturbing his sleep.

Anonymous said...

Got my other half up at 1.30 thought we had burglars smashing into a tin rooved building - think pile driving at the wind farm is the most likely explanation - but funny that it is a night time only not daytime noise, usually planning restrictions control the length and timing of noisy operations - something out of TDC planning orbit!?

Anonymous said...

It was an Ezee fart.

Anonymous said...

In a letter we recieved from Vattenfall, it did state that there could be some noise from the works, but, that they did not know how bad it would be. The reason for it being so late is probably due to tidal flows, the SeaJack and other vessels operate on a tidal window and can only work with a low tide, this may well be the cause...

Head, SMEG said...

1.01pm. anon. Says it all

mark said...

the noise was seajack pilling at wind farm north easterley wind plus the fog made the sound travel 4 times as far.

Nige said...

My piles never make that noise !

Big_Dog said...

In counclusion:

http://www.yourthanet.co.uk/kent-news/Thanet-shudders-to-wind-farm-vibrations-newsinkent25851.aspx

The_Shed said...

You guys can hear things other than seagulls, scooters and domestics at 2am? God you're blessed.