Regional broadcaster Omroep Fryslan and local electrical goods shops say they have been flooded with complaints about electric kettles and coffee makers which have started making strange noises while boiling water.

‘My kettle started making the noise a few weeks ago. It is as if you have a whistling kettle in the kitchen,’ one housewife told the broadcaster.
‘We’ve been getting complaints since the beginning of October. People think the machine is breaking down because it makes odd noises. I have noticed it too, but it is not really a problem,’ one shopkeeper said.
People think the problem may have arisen through changes to the water supply, but local water board Vitens says this is not the case. The board says all it has done in recent weeks is improve the purity of the water. Nevertheless, it is looking into the problem.