A beachfront area near Kaikōura, where locals have repeatedly caught freedom campers defecating, has been temporarily closed.
Last week, locals Dave and Cezanne Lyons aired their frustrations about freedom camping on the Kiwa Rd site after confronting and filiming tourist's relieving themselves at the beach.
The Kaikōura District Council's environmental health officer Ian Shaw and council's building manager Mark Mitchell inspected the area.
Mr Shaw advised the council to temporarily close it due to the littering and unhygienic human toileting practices.
The council says the area could pose a potential health risk to users.
It is the first time the council has been advised to close the beachfront due to a health risk.
"The closure will begin as soon as possible and will involve a temporary fence or barrier around the area used by campers and temporary signs carrying health risk warnings," the council said in a statement.
Mayor Winston Gray said council staff believed if the site remained open, it would continue to be abused and be a health risk to residents and beach users.
"We have no choice but to close the area and keep it closed until other solutions for managing the health risk can be found," he explained.
"We're disappointed that a small number of badly behaved individuals have continued to damage and degrade the site. Their behaviour has forced us to close an area that many people enjoy and use regularly.
"Many of our visitors, including freedom campers, visit our district to enjoy our beautiful and pristine environment and camp responsibly."
Newshub.
