"Horrified" locals share "disgusting" changes in swimming spot

South Auckland locals are "horrified" by their local swimming spot that has been forced to close due to an increase in E.coli bacteria.

According to NewsHub, the popular swimming spot at Waitangi Falls in Waiuku is so full of both animal and human faeces that residents have been avoiding the spot all summer.

The smell coming from the once-popular swimming spot has is enough for people to stay far away.

"It's horrifying, it's rubbish," one person says.

"I wouldn't even go closer than I am now," another adds.

"I'm just absolutely horrified, I'm disgusted that you come down for a swim and this is what you're greeted with. It's soul-destroying," a third agreed.

'It's horrifying': Waiuku locals disgusted after popular Waitangi Falls closed over faeces, E.coli pollution https://t.co/ZIRHyZNcJc

— Newshub (@NewshubNZ) January 31, 2021

Resident Dorothy Hoskins has said that the council should've acted sooner.

"We need action. Seven days have gone now, seven days of literally shit pouring into the Manukau Harbour - this is a beautiful harbour, people live on this harbour. Something needs to be done and needs to be done now," she says.

In a statement, the Council says its pollution response team is "monitoring levels and will continue to do so until water quality is back to normal".

"The cause of this pollution is now under investigation," it added.

But locals say something needs to be done now to clean it.

"We have to act," Hoskins says.