We have heard of things that go bump in the night, but families in the Stoke Park area of Ipswich have reported hearing a deep snore-like grunting sound coming from the bushes near their homes.
The mystery noise has sparked debate amongst neighours although no-one has, as yet, been able to identify the source of this nuisance sound.
John Bush, of Wigmore Close, said: “I’ve only heard it the once, but when I looked it up online I saw someone else had heard it and had to know if anyone had figured out what it was.”
Families in Kesgrave were also disturbed by a similar late-night noise back in 2007, which they described as a “huffing and puffing” like noise.
Back then, a suggestion was muted that amorous hedgehogs could be to blame. The spiky creatures usually make a huffing or even wheezing sound when mating. However, this usually occurs in May and June.
Although the mating season is long since passed, you can still find the odd hedgehog roaming the undergrowth in search of a mate so this could still be a valid explanation for the unusual noises.
Mr Bush said the area does attract wild animals and questions whether the noises could be coming from a badger, fox, or even a stray cat.
Although foxes in particular are renowned for the shrill, screaming sounds they make when they fight and mate, as a member of the same taxonomic family as dogs they can pant loudly when tired.
An outside bet for the source of the strange noise is a young barn owl.
Unable to hoot like their adult counterparts, young owls make a variety of noises to call for foot or their mother, and have been described as making a noise like a steam train huffing and puffing.
When she was complaining about the noises 11 years ago, Helen White, of Kesgrave, said: “First of all I thought it sounded like a moose, now I think it sounds more like a pig.”
She said that her son sometimes walked through the wood on his way back from school and believed the source of the noise could have been a homeless person who had taken up residence there at the time.
While it is rare to spot a moose in Kesgrave, deer are a more common sight and this could have been the culprit although the mystery was never solved.
Have you heard something similar in your garden after dark? Think you know what is causing the night-time noises? Contact us on Facebook and Twitter, or email us.
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