Swimmers barred from contaminated lake

Health authorities have declared Lake Tutira, southwest of Hastings, off limits to swimmers.

Hawke's Bay's District Health Board medical officer of health Caroline McElnay said in a statement today the lake is contaminated.

Monitoring by Hawke's Bay Regional Council identified high levels of E.coli in water samples taken on Tuesday, Dr McElnay said.

The level of the bacteria indicated excessive amounts of faecal matter, either animal or human was in the water.

Dr McElnay warned against swimming in the lake because the safety of water can change rapidly after heavy rain. Three days of fine weather should pass before swimming.

- NZPA