September 9 2010

Your chimney might appear unscathed after Saturday's earthquake and the ongoing aftershocks, but chimney engineer David Driver says virtually every chimney will have been weakened by the shaking.

He's already looking at a workbook that sees jobs stretching out for months, but unfortunately, he said, everyone wants their chimney fixed today.

"Between Ashburton and Christchurch, my phone has never stopped ringing and there are dozens of jobs already booked in Ashburton," Mr Driver said.

Currently he's assessing dozens of chimneys for insurance claims and while many of those pose no immediate danger, just as many need to be dropped and rebuilt immediately. A weakened chimney became a serious safety issue, he said.