Beach residents warned not to drink water

An urgent warning has been issued to Pukehina Beach residents not to use or drink their water this morning. Photo/file

An urgent warning not to use or drink water issued to Pukehina Beach residents this morning has now been extended to the wider Bay of Plenty.

The warning which was originally aimed at beach residents now also includes Paengaroa, Maketu, Little Waihi and Pongakawa areas.

The warning comes after two complaints, including a report of a woman who came out in a rash after taking a shower.

An investigation was being held into the cause of the issue.

Western Bay of Plenty District Council said the system that supplied water to these areas was going to be flushed and in the meantime residents were being asked not to drink or bathe in the water as a precaution.

This flushing process may take 4 to 6 hours to complete and residents would be advised when this had occurred.

Water tankers and bottled water would be delivered to all the potentially affected areas while the flushing took place.

The council told beach residents to flush their water systems if possible after reports of potential issues with water quality.

Council staff were testing the water to see what the issue might be and how widespread it was.