Shotover Street tar spill stopped from entering lake

Local authorities want to hear from anyone with information on the source of a tar spill in the Queenstown CBD this morning.

Both the Otago Regional Council's pollution team and the Queenstown Lakes District Council responded quickly to clean up the tar after it flowed along a gutter and through a stormwater grill on Shotover Street.

The council's compliance manager, Tami Sargeant, says her team does not know how the tar came to be on the road and wants to hear from anyone who does.

Ms Sargeant says after receiving a report of the pollutant, the ORC's response team headed to the indicated location, where they found a Queenstown Lakes District Council contractor cleaning up the spill.

"A small amount of tar made it into the stormwater sump, which has been removed, and none made it to the lake."

She reminds members of the public who come across any potential pollution source to immediately report it to the ORC's Pollution Hotline on 0800 800 033, and wants anyone with information about today's tar spill on Shotover Street to reach out via the same number.

A spokesperson for the Queenstown Lakes District Council says it is considering reviewing CCTV footage from the location as it looks into where the tar came from.