Experts suspect a build-up of underground natural gas may be responsible for a vast jet of water gushing from the earth at a shrine in Japan's northernmost prefecture, Hokkaido.

The column of sandy water, which began erupting from the grounds of Iinari Shrine in Oshamambe Town on August 8, has been causing headaches for people living nearby.

Residents say the 30-meter spout makes so much noise that they can't sleep. A man in his 70s says the wind sprays the water over his property, making his car filthy and preventing him from hanging his laundry outside.

Town officials have another problem to contend with. They say the unusual phenomenon is drawing crowds of curious visitors, who are clogging the surrounding streets with their cars.

To ease congestion, they have set aside parking spaces for about 100 vehicles at three locations in the town.

Takahashi Tetsuya from the Hokkaido Research Organization, who specializes in resource engineering, says he believes the occurrence is being caused by natural gas. He suspects the gas is spewing out of the ground and blasting surface and underground water into the air in the process.

He says people in the area should be careful not to use naked flames, because natural gas ignites easily.

Takahashi says a private firm that once mined natural gas in the area dug 11 wells. He says the wells have since been filled in, but that a build-up of underground pressure appears to have caused the gas to burst through.