Sean O'Hare
SLEEP-DEPRIVED residents in Gerrards Cross have been trying to solve the mystery of a loud, whining noise which kept them awake this week.
As it turned out, the noise which robbed residents of their sleep, emanated from Network Rail machinery at 2am on Tuesday, the second consecutive morning of a three day anti-social works schedule.
No advanced warning of the drain clearance, track grinding and tree cutting had been given to residents, who likened the noise emanating from the Gerrards Cross railway line to that of a 'high-powered chainsaw going full pelt.'
Exhausted Cathy Davies from Bulstrode Way said: "I was in bed for about two or three hours when this chainsaw started revving up.
"I thought it was someone breaking into Barclays Bank so I rang the police who said they would investigate. They called me back at about 2.45am to say that it was Network Rail cutting back branches that were hanging over the track. It lasted for three hours with one minute intervals.
"I was like a zombie. How they are allowed to get away with it, I just don't know. I then got on the internet to get in touch with Network Rail and told them I would book into a hotel and send them the bill.
"The girl on the phone said they were clearing drains and that they had notified residents, but we didn't receive anything."
Charlie Lister, also of Bulstrode Way, said: "It woke me up and I wanted to know that it wasn't an unofficial noise, or if Tesco was involved, so I went to the Gerrards Cross station's ticket office later that day and the guy told me that they were grinding the tracks so that the trains would make a different noise.
"It would have been courteous to have been told but we didn't know anything."
Daisy Anand, also of Bulstrode Way, said: "It was quite worrying because we have never heard that sort of noise before.
"It definitely woke me up. I didn't think they were allowed to do this sort of thing."
Kate Snowden