Heavy downpour floods Ashburton businesses, library
By local democracy reporter Jonathan Leask:
A short, sharp downpour flooded Ashburton businesses, ruined 200 library books and caused sewage to overflow.
Up to 30mm of rain fell in 15 minutes on Saturday afternoon, causing havoc for local businesses and surface flooding on some Ashburton streets.
Ashburton Public Library manager Jill Watson said it was the worst flooding in the building she had seen in her 48 years of working there.
However, she hoped it would be the last.
The library is set to close on November 26 to start its shift to the new Te Whare Whakatere, Ashburton Library and Civic Centre, which is set to open on December 18.
Council people and facilities general manager Sarah Mosley said that at least 200 books would not make the trip after being damaged by the leaky roof.
It made for a different kind of hum at the library on Monday.
“We have dehumidifiers working flat out to dry out wet carpet tiles,” Mosley said.
The old library, which opened in 1967, wasn’t alone in suffering from the storm's rapid downpour.
Across town at the River Crossing retail precinct, which opened just over a year ago, the Kmart had to close after water began leaking near the entrance.
“The guttering got overwhelmed and it flooded into the building,” Tricroft general manager Tony Gilbert said.
“That amount of water in a short space of time, it got overwhelmed.
“The fact there were so many other buildings with similar issues shows that it was quite a volume of water.”
Formosa Restaurant's roof leak was so damaging the business remained closed on Monday for repairs.
Nearby Cleavers Corner Gastro Pub had the surface flooding breach its doors requiring a clean-up to open on Sunday, and around the corner, the F45 gym was completely flooded and remained closed on Monday.
Several roads resembled rivers from the deluge on Saturday.
Ashburton resident Margaret Anderson said it “was like a river with water flowing along the road" at the intersection of SH1/West St and SH77/Moore St.
Surface flooding led to raw sewerage flowing along William Str.
Council infrastructure and open space general manager Neil McCann said the problem occurred where council contractors were putting in new wastewater pipes.
“The site was inundated with stormwater that infiltrated the wastewater system and caused an overflow.
“The site has been cleaned up and disinfected by the contractor.
“Events like these have no impact on council’s drinking water network in Ashburton, and tap water remains safe to drink.”
The roading and stormwater networks have been checked and there was no major damage to report, he said.
“We had a few isolated spots where water pooled, as you would expect with a sudden heavy downpour.”
Poll: Should we be giving the green light to new mining projects? 💰🌲
The Environmental Protection Authority announced this week that a proposed mine in Central Otago (near Cromwell) is about to enter its fast-track assessment process. A final decision could come within six months, and if it’s approved, construction might start as early as mid-2026.
We want to know: Should mining projects like this move ahead?
Keen to dig deeper? Mike White has the scoop.
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53.5% Yes
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46.5% No
A riddle to start the festive season 🌲🎁🌟
I'm a fruit. If you take away my first letter, I'm a crime. If you take away my first two letters, I'm an animal. If you take away my first and last letter, I'm a form of music. What am I?
Do you think you know the answer? Simply 'Like' this post if you know the answer and the big reveal will be posted in the comments at 2pm on the day!
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Head here and hover on the Following button on the top right of the page (and it will show Unfollow) and then click it. If it is giving you the option to Follow, then you've successfully unfollowed the Riddles page.
‘Tis the season to not get scammed ...
As Christmas gift shopping moves increasingly online, scammers are ramping up their activity across the country.
Dunedin’s Investigation Support Unit is seeing more and more people fall victim to scams and other fraudulent activity, particularly on Facebook Marketplace.
There are a few ways to avoid the scams and keep yourself safe doing online trades this holiday season, says Southern District Service Delivery Manager Senior Sergeant Dalton.
🔒 “A good first step when looking to purchase something on Marketplace is to check when the seller’s Facebook profile was created. If it’s very recent, there is a higher risk that they have just created this account for a one-off fake item.”
🔒 Another important step is to make sure the seller’s profile name and bank account name match up. “We’re seeing a lot of scammers claiming their bank account name is different because it belongs to their partner or family member - that’s a huge red flag."
🔒 “When you’re selling, never trust a screenshot anyone sends you showing that payment has been made. Check your own bank account to make sure a payment has gone through."
🔒 “Quite frankly, it’s best for all parties to agree to pay, or be paid, for items in cash and in-person. Ideally in a public place with CCTV coverage."
🔒 "If you’re buying a car, check Carjam.co.nz to see if it’s stolen or if there’s money owed on it.”
A reminder: Suspicious activity can be reported on 105
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