Bad weather on the West Coast has left its beaches strewn with decades worth of rubbish.
Heavy rain and wind have continued to lash the area in the six days since a State of Emergency was declared on Tuesday.
The Waiho River Bridge crumbled in the torrential downpour and Westland saw widespread flooding throughout the region as rainfall reached levels not seen in decades.
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A woman was killed after she was swept away by flood waters in the Arahura Valley north of Hokitika.
The State of Emergency was lifted on Friday morning.
Over the weekend, approximately 10 trailer loads of waste from an old rubbish dump by the Fox River was dislodged by the wind and rain. The detritus includes car tyres and bits of plastic.
Westland Deputy Mayor Latham Martin says volunteers and officials are responding with urgency.
"Westland District Council is working with the West Coast Regional Council and DoC to support them and to ensure the whole project has oversight," he told Newshub. "We're putting the call out also for support agencies from other areas to support us."
A Heavy Rain Warning remains in place for Westland from Otira southwards. MetService expected 100 to 150mm to fall in the ranges by Monday morning, and 50 to 80mm nearer the coast.
Newshub.
