A mysterious alarm has been driving Cheltenham businesses to distraction.

The loud noise is reported to have been going off repeatedly for the last three days.

It is coming from an empty building in Lower Mill Street near to the Tesco car park, off Tewkesbury Road.

Police received a call from someone complaining of the alarm on Tuesday night.

Spokeswoman Katy Roberts said: "Officers checked the building out to make sure it was nothing suspicious.

"The problem has now been passed on to environmental health and the continuous alarm is noise pollution."

Simon Edmunds, manager of Graham Plumbing and Heating Merchants nearby, said he had noticed the noise.

"When you go outside it is very annoying and very distracting," he said.

"We came into work at 7.30am on Monday and it was going off then."

Yvonne Hope, from Cheltenham Borough Council, said: "We are aware of the alarm, which has being going off for a prolonged period of time.

"We have made attempts to find the owners of the unit to halt the alarm, but so far without any success.

"We will now apply for a warrant to enter the premises and stop the alarm."