Vanuatu's construction companies on Efate are faced with loss of access to a their key source of sand.
This comes after the government announced a ban on the sale of sand along the Mele Bay coastline, which has Efate's longest beach and is near the capital, Port Vila,
The coastline is also the source of sand used to build houses.
However, a SOPAC analysis of the quality of the sand has confirmed it is made up mostly of volcanic ash and not sand and is not suitable for building purposes.
Construction companies and landowners are going to be affected as a result of the ban.
Police have been asked to act against any company that buys sand from Mele Bay.
