We’re being stored up all night time by a loud manhole cowl – it is so loud it is like persons are firing weapons outdoors our properties
Disturbed residents who live on a road with ‘great big potholes’ have complained they are being kept awake at night by a loose manhole that makes a sound like gunshots.
The noisy cover lies on a street in Maidstone, Kent, and it has been torturing locals for over a week now.
Some have told of the ‘donk, donk, donk’ sound the flimsy piece of metal makes as vehicles drive over while others think the din is more akin to a ‘large clatter’.
Shocking footage of the manhole in action shows what happens as drivers go over it – in this instance producing the clattering noise five times in just 18 seconds.
Helen Ralph has been living next to the road for the past 15 years and says the constant noise of lorries driving over the drain keeps her wide awake at night.
The 58-year-old explained: ‘We don’t get a good night’s sleep because I’m right near the main road and I hear everything.
‘I hear every car, every lorry that goes up the road and that drain going donk, donk, donk, all night long, so you can imagine you can’t get to sleep.
‘It sounds like a gun going off, but it’s not the first time, that drain has been like that before.’
Disturbed residents who live on a road with ‘great big potholes’ have complained they are being kept awake at night by a loose manhole that makes a sound like gunshots
The noisy cover lies on a street in Maidstone, Kent, and it has been torturing locals for over a week now
Some people say the manhole makes a ‘donk, donk, donk’ sound while others think it’s more like a ‘large clatter’
Retiree Ms Ralph went on to explain this was actually time number three as far as the drain having issues was concerned.
Kent County Council insists it is aware of the issue and is speaking to the utility company responsible for the manhole cover to be repaired.
But Paul Evans, who works at the 440-acre Mote Park in Maidstone and lives with Ms Ralph, said: ‘The noise is all the time.
‘I have to get up for work and I can’t be having that noise.’
The pair also said they were reluctant to report the clamour to the council because they didn’t believe it would improve the situation.
However, they also said they thought road improvements should be prioritised, particularly as their council tax had risen recently.
Ms Ralph added: ‘The roads around here are disgusting; they’ve got great big potholes in them.’
Kent County Council insists it is aware of the issue and is speaking to the utility company responsible for the manhole cover to be repaired
Another Willington Street resident on the other side of the road, who gave his name as Michael, said the noisy manhole cover was disturbing his rest as it could be heard from his bedroom.
He said: ‘It’s a very busy road and a lorry going past will hit that manhole and make a loud noise.
‘It happens at night-time as well with a lot of HGVs coming up and down the road all night and it disrupts your sleep.’
The noise, which he describes as a ‘large clatter’, has been noticeable over the past week or so but Michael has explained he is ‘putting up with it’ – for now.
He added: ‘It keeps happening because the repairing is very poor, they obviously haven’t spent enough money doing the job properly.’
The frustration comes as similar issues have also affected other residents in Kent this year.
A manhole cover in Lower Stone Street, Maidstone, was reported to have been disturbing residents in April.
Meanwhile, another was encountered by those living by a Southern Water manhole cover at the junction of Factory Road and the High Street in Northfleet, Kent, a few months back.
A spokesman from Kent County Council said: ‘KCC is aware of an issue with a utility cover on Willington Street.
‘This is a utility company asset and is their responsibility to make a repair. We are speaking to the company to ensure the works are carried out.’
