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"The pager started beeping non-stop and, on the screen, it said 'alert'," Adam, who did not want to use his real name for safety reasons, said.

The rubble had been hauled away while the trucks worked on the house behind his, one truck beeping as it reversed while Redick looked up.

Over the zaps of workers’ welding and beeps of a forklift, Cover representatives answered questions about the homes.

The high-pitched electronic beep is usually only heard during foggy conditions, most clearly at Land's End, and also by residents of places around the coast including Sennen and Cape Cornwall.

But Claire Benton, vice-president of the British Academy of Audiology, suggests that by blocking everyday sounds such as cars beeping, there is a possibility the brain can "forget" to filter out the noise.