Council is urgently investigating an old Council landfill site which has been disturbed by a river swollen due to recent heavy rain. The old landfill site in Te Araroa, 170km north of Gisborne, has been closed for about 15 years.

Council staff were on-site yesterday and today and members of the community have been providing staff with regular updates.

“It appears the site’s face has been eroded by the river, exposing rubbish on the riverbank,” said Andrew White, Council’s director of liveable communities.

“We are urgently assessing what we can do to prevent rubbish from entering the river in the short term, and stabilising the site for the longer term.

“We will update the community as soon as we have more information.”

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