Ears of Great Dunmow residents were ringing for more than 30 HOURS after an alarm on an industrial estate was not switched off over the weekend.

Residents near to the Ongar Road Trading Estate were woken up late on Saturday night after the alarm was triggered. Firefighters were called to the scene shortly after midnight on Sunday morning but left once it became clear it was a false alarm.

Residents were forced to deal with the noisy alarm until it was switched off this morning (Monday).

Tiffany Bright, 46, who lives on Oakroyd Avenue with her husband Ian and their 12-year-old twin boys, told the Broadcast: “It was absolutely awful. I had to go out on Sunday to get away from the noise.

She added: “We have just had half-term and the boys had a brilliant time. Now we have had to return to work and school ratty and tired.”

Michael Forster, the site manager of the Ongar Road Trading Estate, said: “We apologise to all our neighbours for the trouble they were caused by the sprinkler alarm system. Systems to call someone are in place which did not work. This has now been corrected.”