Mystery as ‘the hum’ returns to Ayrshire village

A mysterious hum ming sound which plagued residents of a seaside town has returned, more than 30 years after it was first reported.

The weird sound, described as a“low-frequency noise similar to a police sir en” was first reported in the 1980s in Largs, North Ayrshire. Investigators were unable to identify its source, with various suggested causes, including gas pipes, power lines and low-frequency submarine communications.

Now the hum has made a return. Andrea Atkinson, who has lived in the town for 20 years, said: “I first heard it earlier this month and thought it was a car alarm in the distance, but it went on for hours.

“My husband said he couldn’t hear anything but I couldn’t blot it out. I eventually fell asleep and forgot about it until the next night, when it all started up again.”

Back in 1984, resident Peggy Wham first spoke out about the low-pitched droning noise. And neighbour Georgie Hys- lop left town to escape the hum, which she believed was interfering with an electronic implant in her back and made her violently sick.

The mystery inspired a book called The Hum by American author Ralph Anderson, which suggested it might be part of a global conspiracy to brainwash and manipulate people.