Posted: 28 April 2006
Offender sought after truckload of tyres dumped at Portland
Officials are today hunting a person who dumped a large truckload of roughly 250 used car tyres into a tidal area at Portland, near Whangarei.
The Northland Regional Council was alerted to the dumping by a member of the public today and says it appears the tyres were dumped overnight on Thursday near the boat ramp by the old Portland cement wharf.
The Council’s Coastal Monitoring Team Leader Bruce Howse says the Council is unimpressed by the illegal dumping and today appealed for the public’s help to track down those responsible.
“It’s an offence under the Resource Management Act to dump rubbish into the Coastal Marine Area.”
Mr Howse says many of the tyres are painted either blue or yellow and may have had some sort of sporting use, possibly at a sports ground.
If caught, those who dumped them will be prosecuted and face potential penalties including a fine of up to $200,000 or up to three months’ jail. The Council will also ask the courts to order the offender to reimburse it for clean-up costs that could reach several thousand dollars.
Mr Howse says as well as being unsightly, the tyres pose environmental risks because of the chemicals they contain and also pose a potential navigation hazard.
By this afternoon at least one high tide had been through the area since the tyres were apparently dumped, carrying a number of them into mangroves over a roughly 75-metre area.
Mr Howse says the Regional Council is arranging to have the tyres collected and properly disposed of as soon as possible to prevent them spreading further.
He asked anyone with information about the dumped tyres to contact the Council’s 24-hour Environmental Hotline 0800 504 639.