Residents living close to Belco have challenged its president’s claims that elevated levels of soot fallout in recent days are because of efforts to restore power in the wake of Hurricane Ernesto.

They also questioned whether levels of fallout have been “significantly” reduced since the commissioning of the North Power Station in 2020, as claimed by Belco.

Those living in the shadow of the Pembroke plant’s station have said the levels of soot falling from the stacks remain the same as before the hurricane, depending on the direction of the wind.

Speaking to The Royal Gazettelast week, Belco president Wayne Caines said that with Ernesto causing more than 28,000 customers to lose power, energy demand for the island was reduced and engines were stopped to maintain stability of the network.

He said: “As large numbers of customers were restored, Belco experienced fluctuating energy demands, which increased fallout from the North Power Station.”

Paula Madeiros, a resident of Underhill Lane, Pembroke, said: “It has been ongoing and is consistently bad. When the wind is blowing in our direction from the south or southwest, it dumps on us.

“Pre-storm, my brother took part in the Round the Island Race. He brought the boat here and within an hour of it being in the yard, there were big blobs of oil. He let them [Belco] know his boat and car were covered. There are rust marks everywhere.

“At the end of the day, if you work in Hamilton or your child attends any of the nine schools in the area, you are exposed. It is all about the wind direction.

“You go out on a boat on any given day and you can see it.”

Catherine Pereira, who also lives on Underhill Lane, said on Wednesday: “I saw no change with the levels of soot during the hurricane.

“He [Caines] cannot blame the elevated levels of soot on the hurricane restoration. Who is he going to blame for the large amount of soot and oil blobs which happened just before the hurricane?

“I have soot sitting on my back porch and east walkway from yesterday. In fact, my dog has some on her this morning, which I need to wash off. I am also planning to wash the porch again, as well as the side of the walkway.

“All of this stuff gets tracked into my house; hence, the reason I continuously am washing my front and back porches.”

An Underhill Crescent resident, who wished not to be named, said the situation with the soot has improved slightly since the commissioning of the North Power Station, but not substantially.

“The hurricane had nothing to do with it,” they said. “We had it 11am on the Friday morning — the hurricane hadn’t reached us yet. It literally littered our neighbour’s house.

“We had it again after the hurricane on Sunday, so using that as an excuse is not good. ”We had another spill-out yesterday.

“There have been some improvements since 2020, but not a lot. I wouldn’t say it was a substantial improvement. We know they are trying to improve it; we have heard it all before, but we want a resolution.

“I know it affects people up on Mount Hill as well.”

The Royal Gazette asked Belco for a response to the residents’ claims as well as for evidence that soot levels had been “significantly” reduced with the installation of shims on all four North Power Station engines in 2021, but the company declined to comment.

Mr Caines said previously, after area MP Jason Hayward condemned Belco for not taking action over pollution: “Since commissioning the North Power Station, Belco has worked with the engine manufacturer to implement several modifications that have increased efficiency and reduced fallout and impact on neighbouring properties.

“Modifications to engines and operating procedures have been done in a phased approach and, while the problem has not been fully resolved, fallout incidences and severity have been reduced.

“Similarly, modifications and the addition of filters to fuel tanks have greatly reduced odours in the vicinity of the plant. These measures have been carried out entirely at Belco’s expense with no additional costs passed on to consumers.”