Cheney stays silent on big bang

The mysterious booming sounds emerging from the official residence of the US Vice President have been disturbing the neighbours for months.

The mysterious booming sounds emerging from the official residence of the US Vice President have been disturbing the neighbours for months.

They happen two or three times a day. And they come at any hour.

In the absence of any explanation as to what was causing the noises at the Naval Observatory, where Dick Cheney lives while in Washington, the neighbours have been speculating.

Was President George Bush's deputy having a helicopter landing pad put in? Was he practicing his marksmanship? Was he staying up late to listen to gangsta rap?

A partial explanation has now been revealed – it's something to do with security. What exactly is going on at 3450 Massachusetts Avenue is still unclear, but officials said construction work requiring blasting has been taking place, and will continue for months.

"Due to the sensitive nature in support of national security and homeland defence, project-specific information is classified and cannot be released," the observatory's superintendent, David Gillard, said in a letter to the local neighbourhood commissioner.

The partial explanation has, of course, led to further speculation – specifically that Mr Cheney is having a special security bunker built at the property, which backs onto the British embassy. Others suggest Mr Cheney may be having a wine cellar dug. Either way, the matter has got to the point where the city council has stepped in. "If the federal government is not being a good neighbour, we'll elevate the issue to the point where something can be done," a council member, Kathy Patterson, said.