Residents say they are ‘‘fed up'' with loose gravel and tar in an Andersons Bay street over the past 10 months.
The problem, in Merchiston St, has come to a head since the street was resealed in the past fortnight.
Resident Chris Hadfield said he had to pick out more than 30 small pieces of gravel from inside the wheel arches of his car.
Mr Hadfield contacted the Otago Daily Times this week and said several fellow residents had told him they were also ‘‘fed up''.
Some cars were screeching along the street after gravel chips got into their brake systems.
Loose gravel chips stuck inside his car, including around the wheel arches, had created a big din before he removed the stones.
His wife, Silvia, said gravel chips covered in tar were also coming down their driveway and being carried into their house on people's shoes.
A nearby concrete driveway was having to be repeatedly washed to remove unwanted tar and gravel, residents said.
After the centre of the street had been dug up to insert new water and other service pipes about a year ago, the street was resealed in February, residents said.
The street was then swept to remove some loose gravel after the first seal, but apparently it had not been properly compacted, they said.
Problems had been compounded with the more recent second sealing job.
Mr Hadfield has been left scratching his head and feeling frustrated.‘‘I can't understand why they've never given it a proper finish,'' he said.
Dunedin City Council roading maintenance engineer Peter Standring said staff would follow up residents' concerns.
‘‘But it may be that contractors have left the grit because otherwise the recent hot weather, coupled with the fresh seal, would have created more problems,'' Mr Standring said.
‘‘We acknowledge this is frustrating and inconvenient for residents and hopefully, depending on the weather and other factors, the work can be completed soon.''
Lawrence Peeters, who has lived in Merchiston St for the past 22 years, said there had been no problems until part of the street was dug up about a year ago.
But since the street was resealed in February, a ‘‘really good street'' had become a ‘‘gravel road''.‘‘For a year now it's always gravel.''Gravel chips on the road and footpath posed a health and safety risk, Mr Peeters said.
A visiting 10-year-old girl had slipped over on loose metal and hurt herself before Christmas, he said.
Mr Peeters had telephoned the council call centre before Christmas and raised his concerns.
He had been told the street would soon be swept to remove excess gravel, but that seemingly had not yet happened.
‘‘Everyone is so fed up. It just goes on and on.''
