'Disgusting': Oil dumping in Papakura stream kills eels

The Papakura community is outraged over a video showing oil dumping in a local stream.

Local man Ben Watson shot the footage of diesel and oil flowing down from the Croskery Rd Culvert into Slippery Creek.

"Fed up with the diesel and oil been dumped into a Papakura stream for the last three-four months and nothing being done about it," he posted to a local community news group.

"The eels and wildlife are all dying and the smell stings your eyes when you're close by."

Watson says the waste is allegedly coming from a nearby car-wreckers, which he suspects hasn't been taking the oil out of the cars like they're supposed to.

He says he's complained to the Auckland Council multiple times, but they failed to stop the culprit.

"I have phoned the council four or five times [and] they act interested, but nothing happens even though they know the source of the company polluting the stream," he wrote on Facebook.

He told Newhub he has seen one to three eels dying a day as a result of the pollution. Other animals have abandoned the area.

After the video was shared, it caused a furious response from other locals, with one person labelling it "disgusting".

"Far out this is terrible. So many eels there too!" one person wrote. "Disgusting lack of action from the Council. Good on you for calling them and sharing this."

Watson says Council workers "arrived in force" to take action. However, he says the alleged company had been tipped off and had attempted to cover up their actions.

The Council told NZME a "pollution spill truck" was sent to the site and council staff were carrying out a clean-up using a "specialist spill kit".

Auckland Council director of regulatory services Craig Hobbs says council compliance officers have been in contact with a Papakura company with a long history of dumping oil.

"The company has previously been served abatement notices in 2017 for a series of non-compliant activities. They received an abatement notice and fine for discharging oil in August 2018," he told NZME.

"A further alleged spill in May 2019 is currently under investigation."

Watson says "crap" is still coming down the stream, and he's disappointed at the Council's response.

"It said it took a Facebook post to get something done," he told Newshub.

Newshub.