Noise from white Ford Fiesta disrupts residents in Delce Road and City Way, Rochester
05:00, 15 July 2023
Furious residents say a mystery driver is causing their windows to shake, teeth to rattle and alarms go off because their car is so bassy.
Several neighbours have complained that the anti-social motorist travels along Delce Road, The Cut and City Way in Rochester.
A Facebook post was first shared in a local group, saying: “Anyone know who the idiot is who drives around the Delce area with their sub so bassy it sets off car alarms?
“I have a newborn who is disrupted every single time, and it causes absolute chaos up my road.
“I’m in with the bubba so haven’t been able to get their licence plate number. Anyone else had any luck?”
A number of commenters believe the culprit is a white Ford Fiesta, but nobody has been able to pin the driver down.
One person said: “Drove past him today along New Road...felt my teeth rattle and it set off car alarms that were parked.”
Another added: “Yep, I had the displeasure of this unnecessary noise today, if it’s a white Fiesta.
“Don't get me wrong, I was young once and had a lovely sub in my boot but I didn't almost break windows with it!
“I had my roof down today and it honestly shook my windows so hard I had to roll them right down to protect them.”
Mariana Negire lives along Delce Road and says it happens two or three times a week.
The 33-year-old mum said: “The noise is unbearable.
“It’s like a tingling in your ears, the windows shake and is just a very nasty noise to be honest. It’s quite disturbing.
“I’m sure there will be some damage to the house, because you can feel it.
“It is not good when my child is sleeping – he gets disturbed and will wake up crying.
“If something, anything, could be done on the situation that would be good. It’s not only at night, but also during the day too.”
Further down the street is 26-year-old Caleb Nicholls, who moved to the area around a month ago.
He said: “You hear a lot of motorbikes and cars – the bikes are much more noticeable with their engines.
“It’s definitely a daily occurrence. You hear them every night at around 9pm or 10pm.
“I’ve found Rochester to be quite bad for noise in general really.”
Many residents who spoke to KentOnline explained how they tried to pinpoint the noise and even attempted take a picture of the culprit.
Linda Driver, who lives in City Way, can also feel the deep bass but doesn’t believe the motorist passes her home.
However, the vibrations cause the 73-year-old to feel sick.
“Every time it makes me feel like I am going to throw up,” she said. “It’s only for a few seconds, but is very intrusive.
“I know it sounds weird, but after looking it up it’s actually a real thing that some people experience.
“The noise is really loud, kind of like when you are at a concert or when guns go off at royal ceremonies.
“I’d like to know the psychology behind it – why would someone choose to put that in their car? How do they concentrate or even drive?”
“The noise is really loud, kind of like when you are at a concert or when guns go off at royal ceremonies...”
Teresa Murray, ward councillor for Rochester East and Warren Wood, commented: “I’m very interested to hear about this and sorry to hear that residents are being disturbed.
“Playing music loudly isn’t against the law, however it can be a form of anti-social behaviour.
“I live on City Way and will keep an eye out – there needs to be a number plate and dates/times to get enforcement action.”
She added: “We have a ward-based police officer who comes to the cafe at St Peter’s Church in Delce Road every Thursday, from 10am to 11am.
“I’ll notify him about this issue. I am also always happy to be contacted by residents.”
Ch Insp Trevor Jenner, District Commander for Medway, said last week the force held an awareness week specifically focussing on anti-social behaviour.
He said: “As a result numerous arrests were made for alleged drug dealing, e-scooter riders were spoken to, a car and several motorbikes were seized for anti-social driving and dispersal orders were enforced.
“Kent Police takes the issue of anti-social behaviour extremely seriously and we will continue to work with partner agencies and will take appropriate, robust action where required.”
Anyone with concerns about anti-social behaviour should report them via the force’s website here.
Ch Insp Jenner added: “Anti-social behaviour is often caused by a minority of people but we do not underestimate the impact this kind of behaviour can have on residents.”