Hawke's Bay swimming spot contaminated

Officials are warning people not to swim in a popular Hawke's Bay spot after excessive amounts of faecal matter were found in the water.

Hawke's Bay District Health Board medical officer Richard Hoskins issued a warning today saying Waipatiki Lagoon was contaminated.

He said water monitoring by the Hawke's Bay Regional Council had found high levels of E.coli in water samples taken on January 14.

Dr Hoskins said the samples showed excessive amounts of faecal matter, either animal or human.

He said a good way to check whether water was contaminated was whether you could see your feet in knee deep water.

Hawke's Bay Regional Council were taking further samples and the Hastings District Council was undertaking an assessment of the lagoon and putting up warning signs.

- NZPA