Dust storms caused by road resurfacing in the Narberth to Begelly area last week has ‘angered’ the whole community, residents stated this week.

“Myself and many other people looked out the window in the morning to find there was very thick dust clouds floating around our homes which was very worrying as it was landing in people’s gardens, on windows and even inside properties,” said resident Paul Blaylock.

“The thickness was unbelievable. It stopped people from leaving their homes and the holiday parks in the area.

“Many people flagged up health and safety issues and stated that it was too dangerous for their younger family members to walk along these areas where the resurfacing is taking place as it was not safe. Anyone heading to Narberth town centre turned back!

“One couple walking up from the caravan site down the road came back ten minutes later coughing. It looked as if someone had poured a bottle of talc over them!”

“Everything in my garden was white. One older resident told me that their back window had been left open during the night and sadly found that the dust had got into their front room,” he continued.

Mr. Blaylock claimed that he couldn’t see clearly outside the window for about 12 hours and couldn’t go outside for more than four hours, stating that the dust continued to cause problems in the following days, making some people ill.

“It was only later that day that a water tank was sent down with a hose pipe to wash the stone on the road but this should have been done hours before and more than once!

“We feel that health and safety issues were not looked into properly. This left many people in Narberth angered and wanting to know what went wrong!

Another local resident Stephen Scanlon said that the issue also reached Begelly after the the A478 road, past Folly Farm had been sprayed and gravel distributed across it.

“No one in the Village can open any windows, as everything is coated in sticky white dust!” he said.

“The cars are caked in it, and people mowing their lawns, are having to wear a face mask. Anyone suffering from any chest complaint, will be badly affected.

“Anyone, adults or children, walking up or down this road, or even in their own gardens, will be suffering from breathing in this dust.

“Cheap road maintenance is not always the best, and would not be necessary if less heavy vehicles used the road,” he added.

A spokeperson for Pembrokeshire County Council said that the dust following dressing was excessive in the area due to the nature of the stone being laid.

“It is a harder stone than used elsewhere due to the class of road on which it is being used.

“We use this stone as it increases the durability and life of the dressing, meaning we can extend frequency of re-treatment to a period of around 15 years.

“The hard stone can result in abrasion between adjoining layers as vehicles pass over creating more dust than would be seen on other roads until the section has received its final few sweeps.

“We have deployed our sweepers to attend the section daily since the problem was brought to light and have been in dialogue with many residents about the ongoing issue.

“The dust seems to have cleared now following an inspection,” they added.