Stink raised over dead sheep

Finding the source of the smell - a decomposing sheep - was easy; finding a local authority willing to deal with the problem was anything but, staff at a seafront cafe in Dunedin said yesterday.

On Saturday, cafe and pool staff at the St Clair Salt Water Pool facility noticed a foul smell coming from rocks about 3m from the cafe, directly beside an outdoor dining area.

Staff at the adjoining saltwater pool contacted the Dunedin City Council, Otago Regional Council and Department of Conservation.

Cafe customers also made complaints, but a pool staff member said people were more curious than offended by the smell.

A cafe employee, who did not want to be named, said yesterday she was frustrated by the lack of action.

"They all said it's not their problem.

"Doc said they couldn't do anything about it, and wait and see if the tide pushes it out," she said.

ORC resource management director Selva Selvarajah, of Dunedin, said the sheep carcass would be removed this morning.

"On weekdays, people can call the main council number - but after hours, call pollution hotline.

"They [cafe or pool staff] may not have been aware of the hotline and may have called the office number . . . but there is a message referring them to the hotline number.

"It's a 24-hour service, and goes to the call centre, which diverts to a staff member on duty."

If dead animals could be identified by ear tags, owners were charged removal costs, he said.

"We absolutely don't want to leave them there.

"The same applies to car bodies being dumped into the harbour."

ORC staff inspected the carcass yesterday, by which time the cafe was closed, but it was waterlogged and wedged between rocks, making it too hard to remove.