Barry Hollington says a mysterious noise under his home is driving him so mad he has even tried to dig up the pavement to find the source.

But despite his claims that it sounds like a train running under the floor, neither council nor water board officials have been able to fathom what it could be.

The 62-year-old said the noise at his bungalow in Larkfield Way, Brighton, was sometimes so bad the floor would shake.

Mr Hollington, who lives with his brother Robert, 75, said the disturbance usually happened about three or four times a day.

He said: "It can go on for several hours. Sometimes it starts in the evening or at night.

"It's a very loud noise that fills the atmosphere.

"It feels like it's under the bungalow.

"If I put my foot to the floor I can feel it shaking.

"When it's really strong at night it makes my brother's bed go up and down."

Mr Hollington said he had contacted Southern Water and Brighton and Hove City Council but they had not been able to pinpoint the cause.

The brothers believe the noise is caused by a pipe which gushes with water three or four times a day.

They reckon it starts at a point under the pavement about 12ft from the front of their home and carries on under the bungalow.

They noticed the noise shortly after they moved in last year.

With no one able to solve the mystery, Mr Hollington said he was driven to take matters into his own hands earlier this month.

He said: "It has been affecting my brother's health.

"Since we moved here he's been much worse. His blood pressure is higher.

"He also has diabetes and arthritis. He can hardly walk a step. The effect on his nerves is terrible.

"It even drove us to digging up the pavement ourselves.

"We used a steel fork, shovel and mallet but it wasn't very effective. We damaged a couple of paving stones but it was very hard to dig up."

A spokeswoman for Southern Water said: "We have been and investigated the area outside the house. We have also visited the customer but didn't hear anything.

"There is no pump under the footpath near the house. There is a stopcock but that doesn't make any noise. We have written to Mr Hollington on numerous occasions and advised him of this."

A spokeswoman for Brighton and Hove City Council said officers had been to the property several times.

She said: "We took his concerns seriously and conducted an extensive investigation but we didn't find anything."

The council was aware of Mr Hollington digging up the pavement outside his house and had repaired the damage.