Hawke's Bay community at risk from rubbish dumping and illegal camping

Dumping rubbish, illegal camping and accessing rivers is putting the community at risk, says HBRC. Photo / File

The dumping of rubbish, illegal camping and accessing rivers are putting the community at further risk of Covid-19.

Hawke's Bay Regional Council says it is "disappointed" with those dumping rubbish near river access points, regional parks, and other open spaces during the nationwide lockdown.

HBRC team leader of open spaces Russell Engelke said those participating are putting council staff and the wider community at risk.

"Overall, Hawke's Bay locals have played to the rules and been great," he said.

"But in the past few weeks we've seen illegally dumped rubbish, trees cut down, people moving roadblocks to get access to rivers, illegal campers and dirt tracks being built.

"It's disappointing to see this kind of behaviour because these spaces are here for people to enjoy safely, and it's putting our community at risk."

Engelke also said HBRC had witnessed locals ignoring locked gates on Hawke's Bay Trails and opening or climbing over them to access sites.

"We've closed the gates to reduce the risk of transmission, as Covid-19 can stay on metal for up to 72 hours," he said.

"On some tracks, we've got more than 500 people using them each day and we don't want to take that risk so we've temporarily closed the gates for the safety of our community.

"Covid-19 is a risk to our community, our region, and our country, and the restrictions we've put in place are for everyone's safety. Please, stick to the rules and look after our whānau."