SINGAPORE, Jan 16 — In Tiong Bahru, residents have been enduring an unlikely tormentor: an alarm clocks that refuse to mind its manners, ringing at all hours and sometimes up to eight times a day.

According to The Straits Times (ST), the mystery racket, which began in early December, has rattled households in Block 55 Tiong Bahru Road and Block 56 Eng Hoon Street, leaving bleary-eyed neighbours filing police reports and complaints with the town council.

“I would leave the house and still hear the ringing in my head,” Sara K., 26, who rents a room near the suspected source of the noise, told ST.

“Wouldn’t an alarm clock run out of battery?” she added, after weeks of disrupted mornings.

“I thought I could ignore it and, hopefully, it would go away. I work from home so I try my best to block it out,” reported Tamzin Adriaanse, 35, a South African resident who noted the din often struck five times a day.

“If I hear a 2pm alarm, I will be dreading another at 2am,” remarked P.C. Chia, 45, who lives nearby and has lodged multiple police reports.

Another neighbour, Danielle V., 31, recalled calling the police after a 1am disturbance. 

Residents suspect the noise emanates from an unoccupied flat in Block 55, though attempts to reach the owner have failed. A property agent showing the unit in January denied any connection to the clamour.

The Tanjong Pagar Town Council confirmed it is working with agencies including the Housing Board and police to investigate.

The affected flats, built in 1967 by the Singapore Improvement Trust, are part of 20 blocks granted conservation status in 2003 for their art deco charm.