Claremont residents say they have cracks in their walls after a neighbour had a borehole sunk in his yard.
Clint Southwood, of Selous Road, lives across from the home where the borehole was drilled. He said the whole road shook and vibrated during the drilling on Thursday August 23.
Mr Southwood said he had been home with his wife, Linelle, when the drilling had started in the morning.
It had finished at about 3pm, and, at one point, the vibrations had been so intense the neighbours had gone to investigate. They had found the road full of clay.
Another neighbour supported Mr Southwood’s claim.
The man, who also lives near the drill site, did not want to be named, but said his home had shaken during the drilling.
Afterwards, both neighbours said they noticed thin cracks in the walls of their homes.
But Lloyd Moore, on whose property the borehole was sunk, said the cracks were there before the drilling began. He said layers of plastering over the cracks showed they were not new.
“One in particular, shows that there is clearly Polyfilla in the crack, and further Polyfilla, which has been plastered over.
“To me, this quite clearly indicates an old crack on which previous repair has been attempted,” said Mr Moore.
Mr Moore said he had followed the correct procedure in having the borehole sunk by notifying the City 14 days beforehand and having it registered.
Xanthea Limberg, Mayco member for informal settlements, water and waste services said the City only regulated boreholes insofar as the Water By-law could be applied.
“The City does not regulate or prescribe drilling/excavation procedures for boreholes.
“The City registers boreholes only to ensure that they do not interfere with their infrastructure,” she said.
Ms Limberg advised the residents to seek private legal advice to resolve this issue
She also said, that the City could not, based on the information contained in this enquiry, find any application/notification to drill a borehole at 5 Selous Road.
An inspector will be sent to the property to investigate compliance.
