Watercare takes Auckland suburb of Rānui to task over tide of filth

Watercare has caused a stink after taking an Auckland suburb to task over residents' role in the rising tide of filth in the area.

Watercare targeted the West Auckland suburb of Rānui after the network became clogged with unflushable items, Stuff reported.

In a now-deleted post on social media Watercare spoke for the suburb's heaving pipes, bemoaning the flushing of items such as wet wipes and tampons.

Workers were confronted by this sludge, containing human waste and tampons. Photo / Watercare

"It's me again, your wastewater network. To say I'm having a crap day would be an understatement. I'm overflowing with frustration," the post read.

"I had hoped my last letter would have stopped this mess from happening, but clearly not, so get ready for some verbal diarrhoea."

It detailed the grim conditions encountered by Watercare workers who had been dispatched to clean up an overflow on Swanson Road.

The foul soup included human waste, tampons and "brown rags" that once were wet wipes.

"This muck has overflowed onto a once lush grassy area of Swanson Rd. It has even reached the local creek.

"The grass didn't ask to be drenched in poo and the creek, well, it never asked to be awash with this crap."

Watercare signed off with a plea for locals to think before they flush and save Watercare employees another "crap" day.

A Watercare spokeswoman told Stuff that the overflow had run into a small creek at Rānui Domain on Monday and said a contractor moved swiftly to remove the blockage.

She said the overwhelming majority of blockages in the sewer network were caused by unflushable items going down the drain.

"It costs Watercare $1 million each year to clean these blockages," the spokeswoman told Stuff.

They said that "feedback" had prompted them to pull their original post, which would be "re-jigged" and put back up.