Strange noise heard in the West Midlands area of the UK - sounds like an air raid siren towards the

reply to post by freakanature


Was that person the one vacuuming your carpet?

Sorry op couldn't resist it! Just kidding!

IN ALL SERIOUSNESS we heard a MASSIVE HORRIBLE (crashing thunderous, mixed with different siren type tones) SOUND IN THE SKY that went on for about 15 minutes on the night of the Olympics (but later discovered it WASN'T the Olympics) but unlike yourself didn't record it. It at first sounded like temporary rumble of thunder but just continued getting longer and longer and stranger and stranger (had no available tape in camcorder but mic probably would not have picked it up anyway).

OP you did a BRILLIANT job in (1) recording the NOISE and (2) in uploading and (3) in posting it on ATS!

I honestly have no idea what you recorded but is VERY SPOOKY especially when played in REVERSE! I will let you know if I hear anything after analyzing it for REVERSE SPEECH CLUES!

Thanks again OP and take care!

reply to post by AG123


Well, this is strange. I've never heard of fire whistles, air raid sirens, tornado warnings, etc. being on consistently for that long. My thought, could a near by fire whistle, air raid siren or tornado warning have malfunctioned and been jammed on? Those are my thoughts because the way it winds down at the end.

At first I thought it was just an industrial motor somewhere in the neighbourhood, whining. I live close to Trafford Park, and hear motors whining like that a lot. A constant high pitch squeal. But then, it tailed off, and is definitely a siren of some kind.

Its not an air-raid siren, they tend to be two tone, alternating between the two tones.

Tornado sirens tend to be modified air-raid sirens, the ones that I've heard anyway.

I wonder, if you live near a port, chemical refinery or military base of some form, and they were running their alarm sirens. All 3 types of facility have to have powerful sirens to alert the neighbourhood of possible danger, by law. Their sirens also have to be tested biannually, but siren tests are usually published in the local press a month beforehand so as to stop people panicing.

reply to post by BMorris



There is no ports or chemical refinery's around where I live or military bases, In fact I've never even once heard a air raid siren in this town, I thought about all the possible surrounding that contribute towards this noise but there are none. I'm normally awake quite late mostly nights on ATS but never noticed a sound like this ever before.

reply to post by AG123


Some one more then likely baught a old air raid siren and was messing with it. It is not unheard of for people to collect those things.

reply to post by TheSep


Air raid sirens are not constant like that was.

Air Raid Siren

It sounds like feedback to me
Microphone feedback

reply to post by pillock


Its not feedback because I clearly heard the tone and that's the reason I recorded it. Logic would suggest I would have to hear a tone in order for me to bother recording or otherwise that would mean I recorded silence with a microphone, it produced feedback which dropped of towards the end and decided to upload it. There is another member of ATS on this thread confirming hearing the same noise, who lives roughly 3 miles from where I am. Read up above.

If there was any fracking going on in your area, they got permission last week to start or restart, the noise could be linked to that. It might be worth following up.

a reply to: AG123

I can't access the recording but I heard a similar thing tonight at 3 am - 3:10am over dudley