A retired couple say they have endured “eight weeks of absolute hell” as a mysterious thumping noise taunts them in the early hours of each morning.

David and Sally Biggs, from Shalloak Road, Canterbury, say the banging has started at about 4am since mid-July and is terrorising their mobile home community.

To make matters worse, the Biggs’ ordeal has been amplified by the fact they cannot get any answers as to where the sound is coming from.

Mr Biggs, a former union official, said: “We can’t point fingers, which makes it worse - we don’t know where to turn.

“We get woken up in the early hours of the morning and by the time the afternoon comes we’re absolutely shattered - it’s no way to spend our retirement.

“I’ve done my years of waking up at silly hours. I’ve been there and done that and quite frankly I don’t want to be doing it again.”

David, 74, describes the noises as being “dull but loud” and says the sequence begins with nine of these in quick succession - about three seconds apart.

He claims it then progresses to a long, droning thud that can last minutes - the cycle then repeats itself every 10 to 15 minutes.

Having noted down the consistency of these disturbances, Mr Biggs has discovered the trend and notes the issue is ongoing seven days a week - which is having grave consequences for those nearby.

“One of our neighbours suffers from migraines and this has really made it worse for him,” began David.

“Everyone we’ve spoken to about it has heard them and has had enough - there are 68 mobile homes here and no doubt everyone is suffering.

“At first we thought we were imagining it, but it’s clear this is affecting more people than just us and it really does need to stop.”

With no clear offender, it has been hard to pinpoint exactly what the cause is - though the couple suspect it could be linked to the nearby industrial estate in Vauxhall Road.

Despite this, David and Sally were unanimous in their verdict - the noise is unacceptable for the time of day it rears its head.

“It impedes on our nights and early mornings seven days a week - it’s about as anti-social as it gets,” remarked Mr Biggs.

“We want whoever is responsible to start acting like it and to be reasonable with the times they work.

“We can’t expect people not to work and we wouldn’t object at all if this was happening at a decent time - it’d blend in with the general noise of the park.

“But four in the morning every morning isn’t decent, we just want a quiet life.”

Councillor Harry McKenzie, who represents the Sturry ward, told KentOnline he had spoken to Mr and Mrs Biggs and had heard recordings of the noises.

“I am extremely concerned by the situation because they are being woken up every morning and it is causing some residents to have health issues like sleep deprivation and migraines,” began the Labour politician.

“I am currently looking into and trying to figure out what can be done about this.

“At the very least, I want to find out where the noise is coming from and at most I want to try to get it solved, but until we know where it is coming from, I can't make any promises on that.

“I am still working with council officers to investigate and find out where the noise is coming from, but it is taking time.”

“I am extremely concerned by the situation because they are being woken up every morning and it is causing some residents to have health issues like sleep deprivation and migraines...”

KentOnline has heard the noise recordings, which are not of sufficient quality to reproduce online.

A spokesman for Canterbury City Council said it opened an investigation last Monday after being notified of the issue.

“Diary sheets have been sent to the complainant so that we can build up a picture of what is happening here,” he explained.

"An officer will also visit a local business to check whether machinery is used at night and if this could be the source of the issue."

Steel stockholder Parker Steel, which has had correspondence with Mr and Mrs Biggs, says it has carried out its own investigations and established its operations in Vauxhall Road are not the source of the noise.

“The Dengrove site is one mile away from our site and we do not have any plant or equipment that resembles the noise and frequency described,” a spokesperson explained, adding that it had visited the mobile home park several times.

“We actively monitor all noise on-site and there has been no discernible change with operational procedures; in addition, our site does not operate on a Friday or Saturday night.”