While all sides in the pulp mill debate yesterday condemned the weekend smoke bomb attack on the family home, sources said the Gays were on the brink of leaving Tasmania.

"They are frightened and feel like hostages in their own home," a friend said.

Police are investigating the smoke bomb attack. The family believed the device was professionally built for the occasion and cleverly placed under the front door so the smoke would be dragged into the house.

"This type of harassment happens every weekend. It's been going on for two years and making the family nervous and afraid to go out in public," friends said.

Mr Gay again refused to speak to the media yesterday, but family friends said the family had weathered two years of hate mail and loud abuse from the street.

"People arrive in the early hours, ring the bell at the gate for ages and then shoot off to avoid detection," friends said.

They said there had been three instances of death threats while the front fence had been vandalised several times.

"They have been branded animals and all sorts of things and it's just ruining their lives," one said.

Pulp the Mill media spokeswoman Lucy Landon-Lane said: "I'm concerned for Mr Gay's family and while I acknowledge there is a lot of anger and discontent within the community over the pulp mill, I think that actions such as this are really serious and really unfortunate."

TAP chairman Rod Hutchins said: "We absolutely would not condone any personal attacks or attacks on private property ... we don't want extreme actions on either side."