FACTORY bosses have apologised for a humming sound which has been sparked complaints in Chirk.

But the sound, caused by a faulty silencer at the Kronospan plant, is likely to persist for at least another two weeks while the company waits for a replacement part.

Paul Jones, who lives on West View, near the plant, said he had been disturbed at night by the hum.

“It has gone noisier in the last 10 days,” he said. “It disturbs your sleep, it unsettles you, and if it’s a still night it carries further.”

Another resident said she could hear it on Walden Crescent and had joked it was a UFO.

Eric and Carol Davies, have lived on West View opposite the site for 38 years.
Mr Davies said: “It was constant – it went on for hours.

“We’re pensioners and we’re retired so we hear more because we’re here all the time

“They think if they put a few trees there it stops the noise, but it doesn’t.”

Chirk North councillor and Mayor of Wrexham Ian Roberts said: ”There has been a problem with noise at the plant over the last 10 days.

“I wasn’t very happy with the noise but they tell me they’ve got experts in and in the next fortnight to three weeks we’ll all be happier.

“I believe everything is being done to rectify it and I understand they can’t do more than they are doing – it’s not as simple as sending someone round with a spanner.”

Chirk South councillor Terry Evans said he had had plenty of complaints from local people.

“It’s worse for people who are in the flight path of the factory,” he said. Company secretary, Chris Ryan said: "We have two MDF production lines, and each has an abatement system to treat emissions.

“One of the MDF machines has a fault in the silencer on part of the abatement equipment.

“Although it is working properly we are getting a low frequency hum that people have noticed.

“We have placed an order for a new silencer to be fitted but it has to be specially made and it is going to take about two-and-a-half weeks to be delivered and installed.

“Obviously, we are sorry about the increased level of noise and will try to sort it out as quickly as possible.

“We have done a lot over the past couple of years to sort out noise levels on the site.”