What a racket! A 64-year-old has given a sigh of relief after an alarm which rang continuously for seven days and nights behind his house was finally turned off.

Derek Threadgall had his Christmas and New Year ruined after an alarm began ringing in the early hours of Boxing Day.

It's driving me mad - Derek Threadgall can't get the ringing out of his ears after suffering an alarm for seven days and nights.

It was coming from an empty warehouse, which has a "to let" sign outside it, on the Widford Industrial Estate, behind Mr Threadgall's home in Robjohns Road, Chelmsford.

Being unable to tolerate the noise any more, he walked to the site and took the details from the letting agent's board, Kemsley, Whiteley and Ferris.

After contacting the letting agency and leaving a message on their answer phone, he then phoned the council.

"Amazingly, a recorded message informed us that the council offices were closed for the Christmas and New Year holidays and would reopen on January 2," added Mr Threadgall

He said: "We have 24-hour plumbers, gas leak service, fire, ambulance and police services, but apparently no 24-hour emergency council services during a holiday break."

The alarm was finally switched off by the letting agency on January 2, and although Mr Threadgall did leave messages on the council's noise and pollution hotline, no-one from the council has returned his calls yet.

A spokeswoman for Chelmsford Council said: "We have reviewed our procedures and the council will in future make specific arrangements for responding to unusual events of this kind over Christmas and New Year.

"The council operates an out of hours emergency number which is available to the police and the public and can be found in the BT Telephone Directory."

Letting agency Kemsley, Whiteley and Ferris declined to comment

Published Tuesday, January 7, 2003

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