A sleep-deprived resident is overjoyed after a clanging manhole was fixed following a month of torment.

Phoebe, who lives on Lower Stone Street in Maidstone, said the noise sounded like “a gun going off” every five seconds.

The faulty drain forced her to wear earplugs both day and night as the sound could clearly be heard through her double glazing.

It started around six weeks ago and clanged every time a vehicle wheel was driven directly over it.

Phoebe has lived in her flat for more than seven years and says the noise was the worst it had ever been.

A 20-second video recorded during the rush hour captured the noise six times.

That works out to be more than 1,000 times an hour.

It had also been irritating business owners along the busy stretch of road.

One said the sound was “torturous” and made her work life significantly more stressful.

Phoebe reported the problem to Kent County Council (KCC) on Friday, March 15 via its website and over the phone.

A representative told her she would have to wait 28 days to allow them to look into it.

On KCC’s website, it states faults such as streetlights and potholes aim to be fixed within this period, unless it is more serious “which could take longer”.

“Drainage investigations of defects or repeated flooding to be inspected within 28 days of referral to an engineer, who will perform a risk assessment to determine whether further work is required,” it goes on to say.

KCC told KentOnline it had been reported to utility company Openreach, which looks after the manhole.

It also confirmed the area was set to be inspected on Friday and hoped to resolve the issue the same day.

Phoebe says she spotted workers setting up barriers along the road on Monday morning (April 29).

She said: “I was thinking, ‘oh my god, they are finally here!’

“It looked quite serious. I thought they were going to just put a new cover down.

“Instead they had this big machine, which broke up the concrete and dug down into the ground.

“If it was this serious why hadn’t they done it sooner? But I’m glad we got there in the end.”

KCC Highways posted several updates on X, formerly known as Twitter, warning motorists of potential delays.

By the following afternoon, the manhole cover had been repaired and barriers were removed.

Phoebe said: “I slept for 12 hours straight – my body has been catching up on sleep.

"I’m so bouncy and full of energy. I can’t thank KentOnline enough, I’m really glad I got in touch.”

She added: “I’m glad I followed through with this because I was going completely mad.

“The council just didn’t care. I hope they do better next time.”

A spokeswoman from Openreach said: “One of our underground network box covers on Lower Stone Street was faulty and needed urgent repair.

“The work was completed by our partners yesterday. We like to thank road users for their understanding while we completed the work.”