Diesel spills into Waikato River

Two hundred litres of diesel spilled into the Waikato River yesterday morning after vandals tampered with the fuel tank of a parked tour bus.

The bus was parked outside a motel on Ulster St in Hamilton when a hose was put into the bus tank and the diesel flushed out into nearby stormwater drains.

A small amount of the diesel was captured by council staff. The rest flowed into the Waikato River, but was expected to cause only a small amount of environmental damage and not affect drinking water.