The contractor responsible for a cloud of cement dust that damaged cars on Dunedin's waterfront says he is waiting for the phone to ring.
Hall Bros Ltd owner Doug Hall contacted Otago Regional Council staff yesterday to discuss Monday's incident, which led to his company being issued with a $1000 infringement notice and being ordered to pay $400 in costs.
Speaking after yesterday's discussions, Mr Hall told the Otago Daily Times he would be prepared to consider arranging for vehicles to be cleaned on a case-by-case basis, if owners could show the cement dust had damaged their vehicles' paintwork.
However, he said he was annoyed those with a grievance had not contacted him and he had yet to hear from any Birch St workers wanting their cars cleaned.
"There's not one person from there that's rung us and asked us a thing," he said.
"It's not a problem. You get this in the industry and you get in and cure it."
The problems occurred on Monday, when a cloud of corrosive cement dust from the ORC's waterfront building site was created by Hall Bros workers crushing concrete.
The dust was carried off the site and down Birch St by high winds, coated vehicles parked outside nearby workshops.
ORC staff visited the site on Tuesday and the next day issued the infringement notice and an order for costs totalling $400, to cover ORC staff time.
Precision Profile worker Keith Elliott told the ODT on Monday the dust had etched the paintwork on his 2006 Holden Commodore, which he bought six months ago for $24,000, and his own efforts to clean the car had been unsuccessful.
He had since been quoted $150 for a professional clean, buff and polish.
On Wednesday, ORC director of resource management Selva Selvarajah said the company had failed to take "a common-sense approach" by crushing concrete in high winds, and should consider cleaning vehicles - or paying for them to be cleaned - as a "goodwill gesture".
