Neighbours of Shoreham Port say months of complaints over loud noise and vibrations have been rebuffed.
A number of residents near Shoreham Port have made complaints after hearing a low humming sound accompanied by vibrations which can be felt throughout their homes since February.
They blame a dredger ship, Cemex Go Innovation – but the boat has been cleared by Shoreham Port after an investigation of noise levels.
However, residents who have been logging the ship’s activity say the noise perfectly correlates with the Cemex ship’s movements.
Tina Tidy, who lives near Vale Park, started keeping a record of the noise on Monday 4 March after seeing someone else share the idea on Facebook.
She said: “I’m facing towards the sea so I can see when it comes in and when it goes.
“It must have taken me about two weeks by writing it down on my calendar, to realise 100 per cent it is the same exact ship that was doing it.
“(The ship) would go and the noise would stop.”
Ms Tidy, who has lived near the harbour for 18 years, said: “Sometimes I’m lucky to get two or three hours’ kip a night. You have to have your telly on to try and drown the noise out.
“I didn’t think they were allowed to work at night but they have their lights on when it’s really loud at night.
“It’s never been a problem to me, and I think a lot of other people, until a couple of months ago.
“You expect there was going to be noise but you don’t expect it all night.”
In an email response to a resident’s complaint seen by Brighton and Hove News, the port said that their investigation of the Cemex ship concluded: “no unusual or out of the ordinary sound levels were detected.”
The port said: “At Shoreham Port, we take any noise complaints seriously.
“Our management team has thoroughly investigated recent complaints, including visiting various locations across the port site and consulting with port users.
“We’ve received differing reports of noise occurring at varying times, making it challenging to link the noise to any specific port activity.
“Regarding the vessel Cemex Go Innovation, thorough investigations by the vessel’s independent owners found no unusual sound levels.
“We are fully committed to cooperating with environmental health investigations and will openly share our findings with them.”
The port also confirmed that a number of wharves around the port are privately owned, and their operating times are not within the port’s authority.
Residents are desperate for the council’s environmental health team to investigate the noise, after their complaints were met with denials from Shoreham Port.
Nearby resident Emma Marlow, in Wellington Road, said that the noise affects her at night despite wearing earplugs.
She said: “It’s causing me so much anxiety and stress.
“It is far worse at night when everything else is so quiet and it keeps us awake night after night.”
Another resident, who has lived near the port for over 20 years, Adele Gee, has also complained to the port about the noise.
She said: “At least 10 people have emailed to complain. You shouldn’t have to rally the troops, really. The port should be taking complaints seriously and addressing them.
“From my perspective it’s like going to bed with an old fridge in your room, just that continuous slight hum.
“You have to keep your windows shut and even recently we’ve had a couple of storms and you can even hear it above that.
“You can actually see on the app when (the ship) is leaving and where it’s going.
“Last week it came back and I couldn’t hear it much but then I went to bed and around 5 o’clock in the morning I was really aware of it.”
Cemex UK and Brighton and Hove City Council have been contacted for comment.
I have lived in South Portslade for 34 years and I’ve heard a lot of noises emanating from the port in that time, (as one would expect living close to a working port) most of which occur during the day and are not really that intrusive. The thing about this particular noise is that it is a) mostly at night, all night. b) it is a low pitched drone similar to the sound of a noisy fridge . c) Intrusive and I can understand people not being able to sleep through it.
It doesn’t affect me so much as I live with tinnitus anyway so I have to put up with constant noise, but I have definitely noticed this distinctive humming.
The noise may be within the decibel tolerances of Shoreham Port but it isn’t really to do with the decibel level it is more to do with the fact it is a very intrusive low level hum which resonates through the air making it sound louder than it actually is. It is definitely connected with the Cemex ship as the noise is never there when the Cemex ship isn’t there. This definitely needs further investigation.
Did I read that right, the ships independent owners conducted an investigation…. Surely there owners of the ship would be the least independent people of all.
Yes I imagine it’s very much like when governments investigate themselves and low-and-behold they find they did absolutely nothing wrong
Tinnitus, have the same noise all day every day
Low pitch hum
I live 200m from the railway at a point where the maintenance team has their tea hut. They power it with a little genny. In the dead of night when all around is silent, it’s incredible how far that little engine noise penetrate, and how incredibly annoying it is.
” No unusual or out of ordinary noises detected”
I suggest that comment is deliberately misleading without actually liking.
If that ship normally made a certain sound whilst operating, then that noise could quite correctly be described as being not unusual or out of ordinary.
Port authority say they take such nuisance seriously. Oh yeh? Taking something seriously is a favourite comment these days and is again misleading. Usual ‘bull….’ by many organisations to rebuff complaints that they have no intention of tackling.
I challenge the port authority to clearly state exactly what action has/is being taken by them to justify their “seriously” comment.
Not being funny here but how many of the complainers have moved there whilst the port was already there and operational.
It’s the same as moving to a big transport hub, city centre, airport, race track etc. There is going to be noise. You knew it when you bought/rented a property there
I’ve been living within a stone’s throw of the port for 34 years, in that time there has been a certain amount of noise one would expect from a working port which is both acceptable and comforting to know that we still do have an active working port. This particular noise, although not excessively loud is invasive as it has low pitched humming resonance similar to that of about 20 fridges all going at once inside a small room. In addition it it goes on all night and at times for several nights in a row. Something which in the 34 years of living here has never happened before. So to say to anyone “you must have known” before they bought or rented here is a bit of a generalisation. Anyone moving next to an airport would expect aircraft noise but flights are restricted and banned between 23.00 and 06.00 so your argument is flawed using that example.
Is it just Shoreham??? People are reporting hearing this noise all over Brighton and Hove???
Is it tinnitus, is it a conspiracy, or something real and perhaps quite benign.
Who knows???
I see reports of noise about Cemex, when did you all come out the wookword when Parker Steel worked all night and then went home, i live right opposite the steel processing plant, nothing from you then !!!