The traffic light pole was hit overnight on May 7, leaving it on a lean and in need of repairs. The Ashburton District Council is hunting for the vehicle involved in the crash.
Infrastructure services group manager Neil McCann said by the time the council was made aware of the damage it was too late to review CCTV footage, which is only available for 72 hours.
However, an eyewitness suggested it was a milk tanker and the council was in process of confirming that with the company.
The traffic signals are still functioning. The leaning pole will be looked at by a maintenance contractor with the timeframe and cost of the repairs still to be determined, McCann said.
In February, the council updated its bylaw restricting heavy vehicles in central Ashburton to include East St from Havelock St to Moore St as part of its $15 million CBD revitalisation project.
The East and Havelock Sts intersection is where the heavy vehicle ban starts, but the tanker accused of hitting the poll was turning left to head north on East St so did not breach the bylaw.
-By Jonathan Leask
