By WAYNE THOMPSON
Dumpers of unwanted car tyres picked the wrong place on the North Shore when they unloaded thousands of them at a disused Albany Highway nursery.
The landowner, Graeme Platt, a world authority on kauri trees, decided to find out who was illegally dumping the tyres. He got help from a posse of vigilant neighbours.
Last June, the mountain of tyres in a clearing among native bush greeted Mr Platt when he visited the property to replace a stolen entrance gate. "To me this was a major environmental crime, causing gross pollution and degradation of the land," he said.
Complaints to the North Shore City Council and the Auckland Regional Council left him with a feeling that the two authorities would do nothing about it. "I had to first catch those responsible."
Whenever time allowed, Mr Platt kept watch on the property. "Unfortunately my work precluded fulltime surveillance, and each time my work took me away more tyres appeared."
Mr Platt said the orderly pile of tyres trebled after what he reckoned was two to three dumpings a week and mostly at night.
His sleuthing included tracing an envelope found in the pile to a Glenfield address.
The breakthrough came in October one night after work when a neighbour called him to say a truck was entering the old nursery with a load of tyres.
He parked his car across the truck's path to block its escape and ordered the driver to reload the truck.
While he argued with the driver, a posse of neighbours appeared in support. They called the police and took photographs of the truck.
As well as catching the dumper red-handed, Mr Platt handed evidence to the Takapuna police.
The police have interviewed a man in connection with the dumping, but are yet to lay charges.
Mr Platt said the number of tyres in the pile could be as high as 8000.
He understood that there was a business in collecting and dumping reject tyres from suburban garages. The business would become more lucrative without tip fees.
He said his property was probably chosen because it was unoccupied.
Mr Platt was outraged by the attitude of city council environmental officers that disposing of the tyres was his problem.
To properly dispose of the pile would cost up to $30,000.
"The tyres are not our property. We want them removed as a matter of urgency."
Mr Platt said he feared an environmental disaster if the pile was set alight.
Landowner tracks tyre dumper
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