Residents on the Fife coast say their lives are being made a misery by an oil rig moored around half a mile out in the Firth of Forth.
Locals dotted along a three-mile stretch from Burntisland to Kinghorn have complained about excessive noise emanating from the Paragon MSS1 platform in the estuary and have demanded action from authorities to end their nightmare.
The Courier understands dozens of people have reported a loud “thrum” day and night over the last few weeks, with various areas affected depending on conditions.
Kinghorn resident Barbara Ritchie, 65, who stays in Carlin Crescent, said: “It’s so quiet here normally but it’s so bad at times that if you’ve got the TV on you have to turn it up.”
Councillor George Kay, who represents Burntisland, Kinghorn and Western Kirkcaldy, said: “I have had at least 20 complaints from Pettycur Bay all the way to the Grange to the west of Burntisland.
“The rig is very visible about half a mile offshore but it is not the distance that seems to be problem — it is more if you are in the line of fire.”
Mr Kay met with Fife Council and Forth Ports on Wednesday and confirmed a muffler has been ordered for the generator exhaust on the platform.
He said: “It has impacted people in different ways and I’ve a great deal of sympathy for those who have been affected.
“We’ve obviously got to welcome the fact we’ve got an industry here, but it’s got to be done responsibly and it’s got to be done in a way that is not going to inconvenience a lot of people.
“I do hope this will work and the residents of Burntisland and Kinghorn can sleep soundly in their beds.
A spokesperson from Forth Ports said: “We are aware of local concerns over noise in the Burntisland area.
“Whilst there have been suggestions that this is coming from a rig anchored in the Forth off Burntisland, this is yet to be confirmed.
“However, we have been in discussions with the rig owners who have designed a bespoke acoustic baffle which will be fitted shortly.
“The rig owners are confident that this will reduce any noise from the vessel significantly.”
The 20,000-tonne Paragon MSS1 platform flies the flag of Liberia, and is registered in the west African country’s capital, Monrovia.
