Napier's art deco suburb of Marewa was coated in dust and dirt this week after high winds - and a nearby industrial area is being blamed.
Motel owner Max Robertson, who bought Marewa Lodge Motel late last year, said he had to spend two days cleaning his motel every time a
strong norwester hit Napier.
"It's happened about a dozen times since we got here," Mr Robertson said. However, Wednesday was the the most severe storm, he said.
After the first couple of storms Mr Robertson called the Hawkes Bay Regional Council, which sent environmental officers to his motel.
They took samples of the dust and determined that most of it was coming from a nearby mulching factory. Large clouds of dust were also blown from another vacant lot on the street.
But, Mr Robertson said, the council did not seem to have done anything about it.
"Other people in the neighbourhood tell me about the problem at their place. I tell them to tell the council."
Regional council environmental officer Anita Cowan said while the factory was not solely to blame, she had met the company management who were keen to fix the problem.
The company says it has already erected a windbreak fence, installed sprinklers and bought a fire truck to wet the dust to keep it from flying away.
- NZPA
