1 Sep 2010

Unstable land still keeping residents from homes

4:03 pm on 1 September 2010

The Whakatane District Council says the residents of seven properties evacuated on 18 August due to an unstable hillside still cannot go home.

Days of heavy rain threatened to dislodge a slip behind the dwellings on Muriwai Drive in Whakatane.

Two houses and a block of six apartments remain too dangerous to live in.

A playground and a toilet block are also closed.

Geotechnical experts say they need another seven to 10 days to complete their assessment of the slip and its implications.