Dumping during lockdown a disappointment

During the lockdown, Hawke’s Bay Regional Council staff have been keeping an eye on river access points, regional parks, and other open spaces, and have been disappointed by what they’ve found.

Team Leader Open Spaces Russell Engelke says they’ve been coming across people putting staff and the community at risk and it’s becoming a real problem.

“Overall, Hawke’s Bay locals have played to the rules and been great, but in the past few weeks we’ve seen illegally dumped rubbish, trees cut down, people moving road blocks to get access to the rivers, illegal campers, and dirt tracks being built,” says Russ.

“It’s disappointing to see this kind of behaviour, because these spaces are here for people to enjoy safely, and it’s putting our community at risk.

“We’re also seeing lots of locals ignoring closed gates on the Hawke’s Bay Trails and opening locked gates or climbing over them to keep going. We’ve closed the gates to reduce the risk of transmission, as COVID19 can stay on metal for up to 72 hours. On some tracks, we’ve got over 500 people using them each day and we don’t want to take that risk so we’ve temporarily closed the gates for the safety of our community.”

“COVID19 is a risk to our community, our region, and our country, and the restrictions we’ve put in place are for everyone’s safety. Please, stick to the rules and look after our whānau.”