Pranksters who put a wheelie bin atop a 40-metre Norfolk pine tree in Auckland's North Shore have been slammed for wasting fire service resources.
A specialist high ladder truck had to be sent from Auckland city to the suburb of Forest Hill to retrieve the bin following calls from concerned residents who were worried it would fall from the tree and seriously injure someone.
Northern fire communications shift inspector Jaron Philips said callers reported the wheelie bin was perched 30 to 40-metres high.
A fire service station officer said the call-out was a waste of resources and the bin could have been dangerous had it fallen.
