Mountains of mud to be moved after settlement

A Dunedin man who has lived with mountains of mud on his property since a deluge in July has reached a settlement with EQC and can now move forward.

Gordon Sasse’s Blanket Bay property was hit by a massive landslip when a storm battered coastal Otago on 21 and 22 July, bringing more than 100mm of rain to many areas.

The slip tore down the hillside above his home and left a layer of mud surrounding his house and travelled as far as an inlet at the foot of his property.

For five months piles of mud, some 2 metres high, sat on his land and mud has remained caked on the floor of a barn as he awaited settlement.

Mr Sasse told RNZ he was contacted by EQC late last week to inform him he was entitled to a settlement of almost $100,000.

“It’s a huge relief,” he said. “We have spent $40,000 [already cleaning up the property].”

About 800 cubic metres of mud remained on the land and needed to be removed, he said.

The settlement would allow him to begin that process and return the grounds to the manicured garden it was before the deluge.