MYSTERY surrounds a hum sound that has lingered in the south Swindon area for weeks.

Nigel Vizor who lives in Tansley Moor first noticed it a couple of months ago and thought it was his tinnitus - a condition that can cause ringing and whistling in the ears.

But he realised others could hear it too.

"It’s an awful, low-pitched drone," he said. "It doesn’t make any difference what I do, even if I stuck earplugs in, it’s penetrating.”

In a bid to find out where it was coming from he contacted the borough council and was asked to fill in a diary noting the times he heard it.

The 71-year-old said: “It’s been going on since before May, and a neighbour complained about the noise to me too. That’s when I knew it wasn’t my tinnitus.

“I spoke to a few of my neighbours and it seems a few people in the area had noticed it and had complained about it. The council seems to think it’s a next door neighbour or something, but it’s got to be something industrial.

“It can be around on various days, but it’s often around more days in the week than not, and usually starts around 7am and can stop around 11pm.

Nigel hasn’t noticed anything new in the area that could be causing the sound and claims his neighbours aren’t responsible because they’re also frustrated with it.

But the source of the hum remains a mystery.

He said: “It’s an absolute nuisance, my daughter Lorraine came to visit me on the weekend and she could hear it too.

“I was diagnosed with tinnitus about 10 years ago, and that’s usually a whistling sound, but this noise is more like a hum. I just want the council to find out what it is and for it to be stopped.”

A Swindon Borough Council spokesperson said: “Mr Vizor is so far the only resident in his neighbourhood to complain about this humming noise. Our records show he complained to us on 19 May, but since then we have had no further contact from anyone about this noise.

“We have asked Mr Vizor to complete diary sheets if he hears the noise again as it will help us narrow down where it is coming from, and we would encourage any other residents to contact us if they too are being affected.”