New public health warning signs for Sumner and Scarborough

New public health warning signs are being erected at Sumner and Scarborough beaches to alert the public to the danger of eating shellfish from these beaches.

The signs are a joint initiative of the Christchurch City Council, Crown Public Health and Environment Canterbury. Water quality samples taken over the 2001/2002 summer, coupled with the assessment guidelines, show it is likely that internationally accepted standards for shellfish harvesting are sometimes breached at these beaches.

City Council’s Operations and Maintenance Manager Mike Bourke said it is well known that shellfish from most parts of the estuary are unsuitable for eating because of micro- biological contamination. The latest testing, coupled with the new national assessment methods, has now shown that water at Sumner and Scarborough beaches is also unsuitable for shellfish harvesting at times.

The signs will go up at Sumner and Scarborough beaches and near Cave Rock, and will add to the signs already erected around the estuary. Mike Bourke said that there is no concern about other Christchurch beaches.

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