Foul discovery for Mt Albert Residents

Mt Albert residents were disgusted to find sewage leaking from a manhole after heavy rain.

Sam Thompson was walking with a friend to a nearby internet café when they saw a young boy playing in what they thought was leaves and water.

It was, in fact, raw sewage that had erupted from a nearby access point on the corner of Allendale and Mt Albert Road.

“It was absolutely disgusting,” said Mr. Thompson.

“We knew straight away it was s*** just from the smell and it was everywhere.”

Watercare said tree roots were the culprit and it took two visits to tackle the problem.

The sewage dribbled the length of Mt Albert Road, soon collecting on the wheels of passing cars.

The smell of waste wafted for up to 10m from the manhole, Mr. Thompson said.

The child then “shot off down Allendale” Rd, before a neighbour came out, telling the men the waste had been leaking all day and asked them to call the council.

Not knowing what to do, Mr. Thompson posted a photo of the hazard to a local community Facebook page, where it quickly attracted a number of likes and comments.

This is not the residents’ first stomach-churning encounter with sewage leaking from the site, as Mr. Thompson said the same thing happened two weeks ago after heavy rain.

The latest blockage was caused by tree roots which Watercare Central Networks Operations Manage Andrew Deutschle said were removed by contractors.

Contractors were called back three days later to deal with another blockage, again caused by tree roots. More roots were cleared from the site.

Watercare is arranging further CCTV of the main wastewater pipes in the area to ensure there won’t be any more incidents, Mr. Deutschle said.