Already scarred from last year’s scrapyard fire, Bromley residents in Christchurch are fearing for the worst as piles of metal get larger each day and keeping them up at night.

Towering over the fence of the Memorial Park Cemetery and the Cypress Garden Reserve, the Annex Metals dumping ground has reached new heights with one resident calling it an “eyesore”.

School teacher and community member Cathy Baker said she can hear cars being crushed when she gets into Bromley School just next door at 6.30am.

“They do it on weekends too, well, whenever they like really. I don’t believe they should be able to do it after 5pm, but they have been,” she said.

Baker recalled the business previously shipped the scraps elsewhere but said “that’s not happening anymore, it’s an eyesore. You can see it from everywhere.”

Another concern Baker raised was the hazard to health and safety if a fire were to break out at the premises.

“What’s going to happen if there is a fire? And what would they do to reduce it? It could fall and catch on fire and there is nothing to stop children from going and playing in there.”

Baker has contacted the council and recorded the noise levels along with other parents at the primary school.

Another resident affected said the commercial company, on Maces Rd, operates at all hours of the night “dropping cars from heights in the middle of the night” which rattles their house and disturbs their sleep.

The resident said it’s “quite scary” post-Christchurch earthquake and is terrified of what will happen to the scrap pile if there is a large shake.

Manager of the Bromley Community Centre Annette McGowan said the scrap metal yard hasn’t always been a problem “but just recently the pile has just grown and grown”.

“It’s very visible, we’re more concerned about the safety aspect, and visually it’s not the most pleasant to view.”

McGowan said she felt for those visiting the Memorial Park Cemetery as the scrap dump imposes the peaceful serenity along with nearby residents who are disrupted by the noises frequently.

ECan Councillor Greg Byrnes has been a local in the area for almost 30 years and decided to take action after attending a community meeting and hearing the concerns raised.

“The volume tucked in behind the cemetery is incredible. The amount of material on-site, I don’t think they have enough hours in the day to work through it.”

Byrnes contacted the Christchurch City Council, other ECan staff and the Woolston Fire Station – who would be first on the scene if anything were to catch fire.

“People have the right to be able to enjoy their homes, to open windows, play in their backyard and have a decent night’s sleep,” he said.

A Christchurch City Council spokesperson said compliance staff responded to a noise complaint in June this year.

“At the time noise was considered excessive and as part of our compliance response, we spoke with the operator who agreed to take corrective action to remedy the matter.”

If further complaints are received by the council they will do a site visit and decide if “enforcement action is necessary.”

“Staff are looking at activities on the site to determine if there is any non-compliant activity occurring.”

A spokesperson for the Woolston Fire Station said they had recently been alerted to the concerns and were in the process of a risk assessment.

Last year flames up to six storeys high engulfed Woolston’s National Steel scrap metal yard and evacuated 10 residents from nearby properties.

About 55 firefighters attended the blaze that a woman in the area described as “insane” and “like the end of times”.

McGowan said last year’s fire was playing on people’s minds “what if there was a fire here? On a windy night?”

“I would hope that the pile would be reduced to safer levels. For the safety aspect and the residents, I hope it would be operating within resource consent.”

Annex Metals Bromley declined to speak to Stuff.