ANGRY residents have complained they have been plagued by excessive yodelling from a faulty railway line alarm system.Engineers are now due to visit the Ipswich to Lowestoft line at Woodbridge to examine the yodel alarm system and hopefully repair it this week.

ANGRY residents have complained they have been plagued by excessive yodelling from a faulty railway line alarm system.

Engineers are now due to visit the Ipswich to Lowestoft line at Woodbridge to examine the yodel alarm system and hopefully repair it this week.

Residents living on houseboats and in nearby houses have claimed that the alarms used at the Ferry Quay level crossing, a few yards from the railway station, are "faulty, dangerous and a continuing source of irritation."

Richard Hare, of Quayside, Woodbridge, said: "For two weeks, yodel alarms of northbound trains have been yodelling on for about five minutes after the trains have passed after midday until the 10.20 to Lowestoft, thereby causing anxiety and irritation to those trying to use the crossing.

"The effects were at their worst over the recent May Bank Holiday when a thoroughly confused public was using it constantly. You could see parents being frustrated – they would have told their children never to cross a railway while an alarm is running, so you can see the difficult situation they found themselves in.

"The fault has been reported several times to the Saxmundham signalman and there have been several visits by engineering contractors to sort out the problem. All attempts have failed.

"One employee commented that the alarm malfunction was possibly caused by the new metal sleepers 'shorting' the system.

"We were told the new metal sleepers would be quieter and safer and for everyone's safety and benefit. In fact it has been nothing of the sort and it ought to have been blindingly obvious to everyone that this was nothing short of PR codswallop. Wood is a far better sound insulator than metal."

A spokeswoman for Network Rail said: "We are aware of the problem. It appears that there is an intermittent fault that comes and goes and we are looking at it again this week."

A campaign was launched three years ago by the Woodbridge Residents Against Pointless Klaxon Blasting pressure group. There were already flashing lights and yodel alarms at the unmanned Ferry Quay level crossing and then a klaxon was introduced, used by train drivers as they were about to pull out of the station.

This was set up because the platform had been extended to take the new three-coach through train to London and the train was closer to the level crossing when it resumed its journey.