Vandals cut fencing around rockfall-prone area in Port Hills

Fallen rocks on Summit Road, along the Port Hills. File photo / NZ Herald

Vandals are recklessly endangering lives by cutting a wire fence around a rockfall-prone area in Christchurch's Port Hills, authorities say.

Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority (Cera) operational security manager Brenden Winder said the people breaching the safety cordon on Summit Rd were placing their lives, and the lives of others, at risk.

"The area is dangerous. Scaling, abseiling and inspection work is going on that is dislodging rocks that are falling on to the road and the surrounding area.

"Vandals have cut open the fence and left it open for children, tourists, or anyone who may not understand the risks, to go through. In the event of an accident or emergency, an ambulance would not be able to get to the victim.

"These people have shown blatant disregard for everyone's safety."

Mr Winder said Cera and the Christchurch City Council were working together to mitigate the rockfall risk in the area.

"The speed of this mitigation work is slowed down by the need to repair the vandalism," he said.