Opening the mouth

A George Ellis Contracting digger clears a channel through Brighton Beach yesterday morning so the Otokia Creek can flow freely into the ocean.

Otago Regional Council operations manager Nineva Vaitupu said the mouth had to be opened at least two or three times a year, particularly after king tides, which brought in a lot of sand.

Contractors had to work with the tides to ensure there was enough pressure behind the sandbar so the mouth opened up, he said.

''There's no particular reason why it gets clogged. It's just nature and we're always battling it.''