Western Isles residents plagued by mysterious 'humming noise'

Residents in the Western Isles have reported being plagued by a mysterious humming noise.

The noise, which is said to be in the low-frequency range, is being heard at all hours across the Isle of Lewis.

Despite best efforts, locals have been unable to locate where the sound is coming from.

Previous theories that it was being made by Stornoway power station have been debunked after the station was shut down over the weekend, but the hum has continued.

Lauren-Grace Kirtley set up a Facebook group for people affected by the sound, described as “incredibly pervasive, irritating and very, very hard to block out”.

“The hum is like a very low, droning, constant humming sound which changes just enough every now and then,” she said.

“It’s not background noise, this is very different, very distinct”.

After setting up the group, Ms Kirtley was able to connect other islanders who had been suffering due to the hum, with many realising for the first time that they were not the only ones who could hear it.

Lauren-Grace Kirtley set up a Facebook page to help others suffering from the hum. STV News

She went on to say: “The sort of frequencies we are talking about are incredibly pervasive, so it’s almost like somebody poking you constantly to get your attention 24/7 and for the last couple of weeks, this noise has been constant.

“It affects your sleep. It’ll affect people’s ability to concentrate, work properly, and enjoy things.

“It’s got to the point where if we can’t find what is causing this and stop it, I’m seriously going to have to consider leaving the island.”

Marcus-Hazel McGowan is an amateur radio operator who recently moved to Lewis.

He started investigating the hum after the sound caused him to become very anxious.

“It’s like somebody constantly tapping you on the shoulder. It’s sort of like somebody waiting to jump out and surprise you, and you know they’re always there,” he said.

“There isn’t a place you can hide, it’s that constant.”

The pair both agree that the source of the noise must be something manmade.

“It’s definitely manmade”, Mr McGowan said. “It’s definitely big. It’s not somebody’s fridge freezer or a drill or something like that or an aquarium somewhere.

“It’s not likely to be the ferry because it’s constant. It’s day and night and persistent wherever you go, the island reflects it.”

Stornoway Power Station was believed to be a potential source of the noise. STV News

Ms Kirtley added: “We’re not talking about a heat pump or an electrical appliance in someone’s home, we’re talking about large infrastructure in terms of what’s making the noise.

She said that one issue in locating the source was due to the nature of low-frequency sound being able to travel a long way.

“Depending on the shape of the land, what the thing creating it is sitting upon, and things like that, it can travel miles; it’s actually very difficult to pin down where it’s coming from.

A worldwide phenomenon

Reports of a mysterious humming noise have arisen in locations across the world, dating back to the 1970s.

The ‘Taos Hum’ was the first widely reported case, a study in 1995 found that around 2% of the New Mexican town’s population could hear the noise.

Windsor, Ontario, residents reported hearing a hum starting in 2011, with one evening the following year seeing over 22,000 reports to local authorities.

Closer to home, in 2023, residents of Omagh in Northern Ireland reported a humming noise causing a “significant degree of discomfort.”

Speculation of causes for the noise have varied between heavy machinery and the jet stream, to inner ear conditions and, in one case in California, the mating call of a fish.