A retired couple driven to despair by a constant beeping sound ripped out walls in a bid to find the cause - only to find it was from a smoke alarm buried in a chest of drawers.

Paul and Jeanette Henry, of Frinton, Essex, are facing a bill of hundreds of pounds to replace the plasterwork.

Mrs Henry, 68, said she was "absolutely amazed" when they found the culprit - a 10-year-old smoke alarm in an old desk.

"We were tearing our hair out," she said.

The couple, who first heard the beeping a year ago, said they had called out electricians to try to find the cause.

The beeping eventually stopped during the summer.

However, on returning from holiday a fortnight ago, they discovered the beep had not only returned but it was now going off every 30 seconds, night and day.

"Paul took up all the floorboards in the attic but it was getting silly," said Mrs Henry.

"I was even going round listening to all the grandchildren's toys in case a battery was wearing out.

"We had to do something as we were getting desperate; we weren't getting any sleep."

Another electrician suggested a "mischievous builder" might have dropped an alarm between two plasterboard walls so builders were called to knock them through.

They did not find anything.

"We were tearing our hair out, we now had two gaping holes and there was still this blessed bleep," said Mrs Henry.

Eventually Mr Henry, 67, a retired print worker, decided to turn all the lights off upstairs and try to locate the sound in the dark.

He followed the noise to an old chest of drawers on the landing and, as he opened the desk, the sound got louder.

Mrs Henry said: "Right at the back he found a smoke alarm, which must have been about 10 years old, whose battery was running out and bleeping away quite happily to let us know.

"We couldn't believe it, we were absolutely amazed, but really relieved, although we still keep thinking we can hear it."

WOW! and i thought i was dumb....


this is the first time that i am in any way publicly admitting to the following ...and unfortunately, yes, it is a TRUE story....

A few years ago during the hottest part of the day, our power went out as it often does here in Florida.It was ok for a bit but as the sun beat down on the tin can i call home (yes, it's a 'manufactured' home - otherwise known as a trailer) the coolness of the now idle air conditioner quickly wore off. At that time, I went and grabbed the fan out of the sun room, and the little girl I watch and I cleaned it all up before plugging it in. Damn thing didn't work , so we grabbed the fan out of the laundry room, cleaned it up, and plugged it in only to find it too wasn't working. We tried one more time, getting the fan from the bed room. Through all of this, the temp was climbing and so was my anger at my husband for not caring to maintain things around our home. As I went around the house opening all the windows and trying to explain to the little one why i was so angry, it finally hit me as to why 3 fans would have all died at the same time...Boy did I feel extremely blond and stupid!

A retired couple driven to despair by a constant beeping sound ripped out walls in a bid to find the cause - only to find it was from a smoke alarm buried in a chest of drawers.


Cheer up, retirees.  It could be worse!

Cheer up, retirees.  It could be worse!


Then your sap goes stark-raving crazy and gores out his ear drums with an ice pick.

Edgar Allen Poe would have loved the digital age. 
8)