The owner of a steam tugboat which participated in the pivotal Dunkirk evacuation says the vessel is in "desperate need of repairs" as it is one of the last operational steam tugs in the country.

The Challenge played a key role in Operation Dynamo, where more than 338,000 British and French soldiers were evacuated from the French coast to the UK from 26 May to 4 June 1940.

The tug boat, which was built in1931 by Scottish shipbuilder Alexander Hall, is currently moored on the River Medway in Chatham, near the Sun Pier House.

Chris Bannister, owner of the vessel and founder of the Steam Boat Trust, said he needed £35,000 to restore it otherwise this "vital piece of history will be lost".

Mr Bannister said he aimed to restore the boat and open it to the public for educational purposes.

"The funds will go towards immediate and ongoing maintenance and repair work on the Challenge," Mr Bannister said.

"This vessel is living proof of the sacrifices troops made and it is a symbol of a resilience and determination shown by an entire generation."

Currently, the Steam Boat Trust has raised nearly £2,000.

'Labour of love'

Mr Bannister said he had owned the vessel for five years and had spent £200,000 of his own savings to repair and maintain it.

"It is a labour of love," he said, "I have always loved marine steam engines.

"Two weeks after I purchased the Challenge, it started to sink and I spent £25,000 to keep it afloat."

Mr Bannister said the Challenge needed repairs for the condenser and vacuum pump, which are critical components that maintain the steam system.

He added he and a team of volunteers are also carrying out paint work and adding other key elements to prevent corrosion.

Mr Bannister said the money would also go towards keeping the boat's generator running.

"As the Challenge is moored mid-river, it relies on the generator to keep water, electricity and toilets running," he added.

He said the vessel did not qualify for the Heritage Lottery Fund as it was not currently open to the public.

"It is not open to the public because it desperately needs major repairs," Mr Bannister explained.

"The Challenge has a really fascinating history. It still bears the scars of a V1 flying bomb attack in 1944," he added.

People living in a normally quiet cul-de-sac say they are at a loss to work out what is causing an "annoying" sound that is bothering them day and night.

"It sounds like when someone starts a car and revs the engine – then it goes to a tick-over, and then bleeps and goes up," said Doug Mynard, from Newport Pagnell, Buckinghamshire.

The 70-year-old said the noise began about six weeks ago and could be heard every 10 minutes.

He added that although it was not keeping him awake at night, other neighbours had complained that it was having that effect on them.

"If I get up to go to the loo in the night, I can hear it. The missus says she's heard it at 2.30, 4.30am.

"It's annoying when you're trying to sit in the garden to read a book and this blooming noise goes off," he told the BBC.

He said the noise seemed to be concentrated in Brockwell, which "acts like an amphitheatre".

"I've ridden my bike around the area, and as soon as you get into the close you hear it," he added.

"The folks at number 11 can't hear it at all. I don't know how to explain it."

Jane Carr, a Liberal Democrat member of Milton Keynes City Council, said: "It's upsetting the neighbours because they just want to know what it is, so we can soften the noise."

She said council officers had visited residents beyond the cul-de sac to find out who could hear the noise.

"A few people have said, 'Yeah, we've heard noise from the crane and the building'.

"But it just seems to be one particular area that's hearing the noise on a repeated basis. If it's the crane, you'd expect it to be heard far wider," she said.

Her money is on a hot tub.

"We think someone may have installed a hot tub very recently because it's such an intermittent noise," she said.

"It may be as simple as the hot tub's vibrating against the side of something.

"We've had officers trying to identify where the noise is coming from and it's just really weird. We want an answer."