Amorous fish could be responsible for a mysterious humming noise keeping people awake at night.

Residents in a part of Southampton, Hamsphire, have been struggling to get to sleep because of the puzzling noise, which starts at 10pm and drones on all night.

Some people have even moved away from the affected area around Hythe and are sleeping on friends’ sofas to escape the nightmare.

Now scientists are studying whether the noise could be being caused by fish having sex in an estuary nearby.

Midshipman male fish let out a distinctive drone to let females know they are searching for a mate.

The noise can go on for hours and often increases in volume as competing males attempt to out-hum each other.

Incredibly, scientists say the sound can be amplified by bouncing off buildings and ships.

The National Oceanography Centre in Southampton was unable to shed any light on the mystery.

However, the Scottish Association for Marine Science claimed fish could be responsible for the bizarre buzzing sound.

The din has so far sparked dozens of complaints from residents suffering sleepless nights, who have come up with a number of other theories themselves.

New Forest District Council has now received more than 30 complaints about the irritating hum.

A spokesman said noise monitoring equipment had been installed in several properties in a bid to track down the origin of the sound.