Residents across Lowestoft were complaining into the late hours of last night due to reports of a whining sound.

The noise, which was audible across much of the town at around 10pm, lasted for more than an hour before being switched off by authorities.

Officers from Environmental Protection were dispatched to investigate and discovered the source to be a faulty fire alarm on a ship.

Waveney District Council confirmed that the culprit for the noise was a fire alarm on the Severn Provider, moored in Lowestoft Docks, which had been tripped accidentally.

A spokesman said: 'The Council received multiple calls last night from concerned members of the public regarding an ongoing loud noise which was audible throughout central Lowestoft.

'Environmental Protection officers promptly investigated and found the source to be a fire alarm on a vessel, the Severn Provider, moored on the North Quay.

'Officers worked with those responsible for the vessel to ensure the noise was immediately stopped. We are grateful to those manning our 'out of hours' line for handling the high volume of calls received.'

The council also announced the relaunch of their nuisance noise hotline for the summer months.

From today until September 30, residents in Waveney and Suffolk Coastal can call 01502 527132 outside normal working hours to report a noise concern.

On Friday and Saturday evenings the service will be available between 7pm and 1am across both districts, with it also being available on bank holiday Sundays between 7pm and midnight in Waveney.

In a joint statement Graham Catchpole, Waveney's cabinet member for operational partnerships and Carol Poulter, Suffolk Coastal's cabinet member for green environment said: 'In the summer months, when windows are open and more time is spent outside, excess noise can become a problem for some people.

We depend on our neighbours to be considerate, but loud parties, barbecues, or simply turning up music in the house so that it can be heard in the garden, can all adversely affect others during the summer months. The same applies to car stereos and entertainment noise from pubs, clubs and businesses.

'Working closely with Suffolk Police, officers from our Environmental Protection team will be on call throughout the summer to respond to reports of nuisance noise.'