Chch Crs take action

Stuff reports:

A Christchurch councillor in trouble for his involvement in digging an unauthorised trench to sort a long-running flooding problem left a “please explain” meeting after 15 minutes.

James Daniels said when he realised how serious Christchurch City Council staff were taking the issue, he decided he needed a lawyer.

Staff were recording the meeting and talking about infringement and enforcement notices and possibly a prosecution, he said.

Daniels and fellow councillor Phil Mauger took vigilante action to resolve flooding on Pages Rd in the city’s east. Mauger commandeered a digger from his company, Maugers Contracting, and had a 70-metre-long trench dug on red zone land between Anzac Drive and Bexley Rd. The work fixed the flooding overnight, they said.

The council turned up a few days later and plugged the trench, stopping it from working.

Residents have complained about the flooding for 10 years. Water covers the Pages Rd footpath and forces pedestrians onto the busy road for weeks after it rains.

The pair said they had tried official channels to get the work done, but kept hitting brick walls. …

The pair have received an outpouring of support from their community.

If the Council prosecutes them, I’d say that would guarantee they are the highest polling candidates next election.