Stowmarket residents lose sleep over noisy 'firework' drain

Complaints have been made concerning the drain in Station Road in Cotton, near Stowmarket, for about a month.

Michael Marriott, a resident living near the drain cover, has spoken about being woken up at 5am due to cars driving over it.

Describing the noise levels as "intolerable", Mr Marriott said: "The infuriating thing is that I have contacted the council, and the engineer who came out parked his vehicle in front of the drain cover, so cars had to overtake and he would not have heard the noise or been made aware of the situation.

“The response from Suffolk Highways is that they will continue to monitor it but it is not a priority. In the scheme of things, I understand, but it is disconcerting.

“Other nearby residents are similarly outraged. One of my neighbours has has been forced to move to a rear bedroom due to sleep being constantly interrupted.

The noisy drain in Station Road, Cotton (Image: Charlotte Bond)

"One of our sons works from home and this issue causes him constant distraction, and the sudden noise causes me to wake up with a start from around 5am onwards.

“It is like a firework going off every time a car drives over it."

According to local authority services, a broken or faulty manhole cover can be dangerous as well as causing noise.

However, Suffolk Highways has since said that the drain “does not meet our criteria for intervention”.

Michael Marriott said the drain is causing residents to lose sleep (Image: Charlotte Bond)

A spokesperson from Suffolk Highways said: "We have assessed the gully, and although a little loose, it does not meet our criteria for intervention at this time.

"We will continue to monitor the location during routine inspections."

A similarly noisy drain has also been reported in Great Blakenham, which Suffolk County Council said it is "investigating".