Protester digs trench under bridge to evade angry passersby

Jude Sebastian de St. Germain de Angulo protesting on the bridge at the bottom of Kaikohe's main street last week.

A Far North environmental protester has taken extreme measures to avoid angry members of the public - by digging an escape trench under a bridge where he stands vigil.

His escape route has been rumbled however, by officials who are concerned the trench may have destabilised the bridge.

The Far North District Council has made significant progress in addressing concerns raised by Kaikohe man Jude Sebastian de St. Germain de Angulo regarding grey water entering the Mangamutu Stream.

But de Angulo was still perched on the bridge at the bottom of Broadway last week.

He had been doing more than sitting, however.

He told the Northland Age he had been threatened by some passersby so he had dug a trench around and under the bridge as an escape route.

He had already used it once, and it had worked perfectly, he said.

The Far North District Council was not amused, however. A senior manager said de Angulo had failed to comply with bylaws governing protests.

He was given 30 minutes to remove his signs, failing which the council would remove them for him.

The trench was to be assessed to determine whether any damage had been done to the bridge or its foundations.

The council said the issue of grey water entering the stream from Fairview Crescent has been resolved, while de Angulo's claims about leachate from rubbish in a nearby reserve was also polluting the stream were being investigated.