Mike Hosking's vacuum cleaner has been stolen - and he's not happy about it.
But it doesn't matter - he's got another one.
The war of words that broke out between Newstalk ZB hosts over Hosking's controversial studio vacuum cleaner quickly escalated today when it was stolen and held for ransom.
The situation started when Hosking started leaving his Dyson cleaner lying around for other ZB hosts to clean up after their shifts.
Midday ZB hosts Kerre McIvor and Mark Dye hit out at Hosking, telling him to pack his cleaner up as it was cluttering the studio and blocking the doorway.
READ MORE:
• Radio DJs at war over Hosking's vacuum cleaner
• Rachel Smalley weighs in on hoover-gate
Now, radio hosts from ZM have entered the fray, stealing Hosking's vacuum cleaner overnight and holding it ransom.
Hosts Jase and PJ issued a ransom video this morning saying they would give his vacuum cleaner back if they could get a ride in Hosking's Ferrari - or if he paid them $500.
But Hosking quickly returned fire this morning, debuting a new Dyson and telling Jase and PJ they could keep the old one.
Hosking slammed the pair as "losers" from the "hip-hop station" and issued a warning to anyone else thinking of trying to strip him of his vacuum cleaner.
"Steal my Dyson, I've got another Dyson. This Dyson goes on forever and ever and ever," he said in an angry Facebook video.
Jase and PJ reportedly will now take Hosking's stolen vacuum cleaner to New Plymouth.
The latest developments in 'VacGate' come after Hosking's fellow breakfast host, Rachel Smalley, voiced her own gripes.
Speaking on McIvor and Dye's show yesterday, Smalley revealed how extreme Hosking's clean freak habits can get.
"He often comes in, I'm not kidding, when I am on air, and gets the vacuum and plugs it in and starts the vacuuming," she said.
"I'm not kidding, the man is an a-hole!"
Smalley hosts the Bayleys Early Edition an hour before Hosking's morning show, and seemed pleased with the opportunity to vent.
"If there's a pen left on the desk, he will come in and hold it up like someone had leprosy and left a limb behind."
The ZB hosts usually have separate studios, but they're all sharing one studio while construction work is completed.
Leighton Smith, who hosts the show between Hosking and McIvor & Dye, declined to comment.
Hosking's clean freak habits were unveiled by gossip website Scout, the now-defunct website which launched with "exclusive" footage of Hosking using a dust buster in his car.
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