blasts shook their properties without warning, shaking buildings to their foundations and frightening customers.

And they claimed the explosions were so bad that shoppers and patrons paid up and left -- fearing they were about to be hit by another "earthquake-like'' tremor.

A petition has now been raised against the operations at the Wilkinson Quarry, Bailey's Bay, which one businessman said had been disturbing the peace for years.

Bosses of the Swizzle Inn and Bermuda Perfume Factory, and resident Noela Haycock, are furious at the latest explosion from the quarry, on Tuesday, which Mrs. Haycock said was the "worst ever''.

She said: "The whole house shook. Some months ago we had another which caused my ceiling to fall in and pipes to burst and we lost three tank loads of water.'' She said that she also had cracked tiles and plaster, but did not know what other damage had been done -- adding that it could be some time before it was discovered.

General manager of the Swizzle Inn, Jay Correia, said many of his customers were upset after the blast, thinking an earthquake had hit, and wanted to pay their bills and leave as fast as possible.

He has also started a petition, gathering signatures from people at the Inn at the time of the blast attesting to its ferocity.

"The blast shook us to our very foundations,'' he said. "It is upsetting to me, my heart skips a beat and it really scares you.'' He said it was more of a problem depending on where they were blasting in the quarry.

"I would like to see the blasting stopped, as its impact on the buildings and customers with all the noise of machines and dust detracts from visitors enjoying themselves.'' All three say they have complained to the quarry's operators, and owners, the Wilkinson Trust, but have not received a satisfactory response. And they say, there is no warning when the blasting is to take place.

They said the blasting takes place each month, sometimes causing clouds of dust to blow across the area, along with the explosion.

Mrs. Haycock said the owners had not responded to her inquiries and had not stopped the blasting, which she said indicated their level of concern.

Colin Curtis, general manager of the Bermuda Perfume Factory, added his concerns. He said the Government had been indifferent to their plight over the years.

Blasting goes on all the time but yesterday's was the worst in a long time, he said.

He said the bang shook the buildings, alarmed both staff and guests, prompting visitors to leave in fear.

Mrs. Haycock said a blast in March damaged her home, forcing one of the ceilings to collapse. And she said she has had to repair tiles and pools in the past. And there have also been incidents where rocks have been projected into the Swizzle Inn car park and surrounding area.

Zane Desilva, president of Island Construction, whose subsidiary, Island Quarry, operates the site, was in a meeting at the time of the blast but said he had not had any reports of problems at the quarry.

He said they had been using the same blast pattern for years and blasted every week or two when dynamite was available.

Quarry explosions But they sometimes went two to three months without blasting.

He also said more attention was drawn from time to time when the blasting was at the edge of the quarry, close to residential areas.

Mrs. Haycock suggested the quarry could possibly use "broomstick blasting'' where charges were set off at intervals meaning smaller blasts causing less damage.