A Dunedin pensioner is upset a local business accused him of dumping rubbish on its property.
Aurora Energy says loose rubbish near substation can cause safety concerns and has apologised for any undue stress its action caused.
Roy Kenny (81), of York Pl, received a letter from a law firm requesting he stop dumping his rubbish at Aurora's Smith St substation.
It stated documents with his name and address found within the rubbish led Aurora to believe the rubbish belonged to him, and he was responsible for dumping it.
Almost two years later, Mr Kenny is still dealing with the repercussions, as he fights to clear his name.
He said he was not aware of the issue until he received the letter.
"I come back from golf and when I read the letter I saw absolute red and rang [the lawyer] straight away.
"I told her it certainly wasn't me that put the rubbish there.
"It's an insult, a scar on my integrity and I don't wear that at all.''
Mr Kenny was upset Aurora got its lawyer involved before speaking with him.
He has lived in his home for about 40 years, and it "doesn't make sense'' that he would start dumping his rubbish at the substation. "And the other key thing is; anybody of sound mind wouldn't be dumping rubbish illegally with evidence in it of who it belonged to.''
Mr Kenny has photographs of the man he believed to be responsible for the illegal rubbish dumping.
The Star has seen the photos. They appear to support his claim.
He has written to the police about the man, and received a letter in response from Senior Sergeant Craig Dinnissen last month.
The letter stated the person was known to police for this type of behaviour, had been spoken to previously about it, and prosecution action had been taken in the past with regard to wilful trespassing in relation to this type of behaviour.
Aurora Energy Customer and Engagement general manager Sian Sutton said the company's lawyers wrote to Mr Kenny in 2017 regarding a number of instances where rubbish had been dumped at the substation.
"Following the letter, Mr Kenny spoke with our lawyers and he was advised if no further rubbish was dumped then no further action would be taken.
"We considered the matter to be resolved at this point in time.''
Loose rubbish near substations was a major safety issue, as wind-blown refuse could cause a widespread outage if it contacted equipment.
"We apologise if this issue has caused Mr Kenny any undue stress.''
When asked, an Aurora spokesperson would not say how many such letters it has sent to people.
JESSICA.WILSON @thestar.co.nz
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Comments
""Following the letter, Mr Kenny spoke with our lawyers and he was advised if no further rubbish was dumped then no further action would be taken".
Not very good lawyers then, Mr Kenny provides evidence it wasn't him and the lawyers don't even follow it up.
Easier to pick the low hanging fruit I guess.