The Otago Regional Council deemed Macandrew Bay beach unsuitable for swimming last week after tests returned high levels of E coli, which can cause gastroenteritis within 12 hours of exposure.
But there were no signs to warn of possible contamination at the harbourside beach on Sunday.
Josh and Maria Craig, who had taken infant son Daniel for a dip, were one of several families enjoying the Otago Peninsula suburb's small man-made beach on Sunday afternoon.
The couple were shocked when told the harbour water may have contained dangerous levels of E. coli, which is used as an indicator the presence of other faecal bacteria such as Campylobacter.
``We had no idea,'' Mrs Craig said.
Tomahawk and Brighton Beaches were also off limits, according to the council's most recent testing last week.
Signs warning swimmers to steer clear were at those beaches.
At Brighton, there was a single sign posted at the surf life-saving club.
Despite announcing last week the public should avoid all three beaches until testing showed the water was safe, council resource science manager Dean Olsen said yesterday that his team had decided signs were not necessary at Macandrew Bay because enough time had passed.
``Given several days had already passed since the rainfall event when results were received, our team judged signage wasn't necessary.''
Otago Peninsula Community Board chairman Paul Pope said it was disappointing signs were not in place at Macandrew Bay beach at the weekend.
There had been a ``disconnect there between signage and testing'', he said.
Honeymooners Hendrik and Bastion Schons, from Dusseldorf, Germany, said they were disappointed to learn the beach was potentially polluted, given New Zealand's clean and green image.
``We thought the environment here was especially clean.''
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Comments
We saw a diver in the water for at least an hour. No signs.
ODT reporter George Block is aware of, but has failed to pursue, the obvious contradiction between the ORC's statements: "avoid all three beaches until testing showed the water was safe" and then "his team had decided signs were not necessary at Macandrew Bay". The ORC logic seems to be that if they wait long enough then they won't need sign because they can pretend that the contamination has gone away. This messed-up thinking is a threat to people's safety. The signs should be up, and stay up, until tests show that there is no contamination. Surely there is a law that protects us from this sort of incompetence.