Restrictions end
A sodden February has allowed Masterton District Council to lift all water restrictions heading into the official start of autumn today. Restrictions were introduced on January 26, in line with the requirements of the council’s consent to take water from the Waingawa River. When the river’s flow rate falls below 2000 litres per second, sprinkler use is limited to alternate days. This flow rate did not last long, but to avoid making multiple changes to restrictions, these were maintained until the end of February.
Morison wins
Neil Morrison has secured a seat on the Greytown Community Board, with 593 votes, final by-election results show. Fellow contender Janette Gedge secured 432 votes. The voter return was 32.78 per cent, being 1032 votes. – NZLDR
Cellphone recycling
Mobile phone recycling has started again at Carterton Events Centre. RE:MOBILE, who runs the scheme, said it wanted mobile phones regardless of their condition: “Whether it is in perfect working order or doesn’t even turn on. It’s free, easy and good for the environment.” It said people who wanted to donate needed to follow four steps: Disconnect the phone from any cloud service, carry out a factory reset, remove the sim card, and leave the battery inside.
Akura Rd crash
Police do not believe a single-vehicle crash on Akura Rd is related to a suspicious bus fire reported yesterday. Police said officers responded to the crash at the intersection of Akura and Ngaumutawa roads at 7.45am. Emergency services had responded to a suspicious blaze on Akura Rd half an hour earlier. A police spokesperson said the two incidents did not appear to be related. There were no reported injuries in the crash. However, the road was blocked for some time.
Toilet lock-in
A touchy toilet door has seen Masterton Fire Brigade assisting in an escape. Fire and Emergency [Fenz] said the brigade responded to a report of a lock-in at a public toilet on Bannister St at 9.45pm on Monday. Fenz said it was not uncommon to receive calls to 24-hour toilets that could occasionally malfunction. “It appears the brigade showed up and assisted in a release.”
