A sewage spill has covered part of Wellingtons Lambton Quay.
A manhole cover has popped open on Woodward St about 4pm on Friday and a steady stream of yellow-coloured liquid is running onto Lambton Quay.
The sewage has a strong odour and is covering a footpath and running into a stormwater drain.
The spill came from a wastewater gravity pipe which was believed to have been blocked by fats or other non-flushable items such as wet wipes, Wellington Water spokesperson Grace Christison said.
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The blockage caused a surge of liquid strong enough to remove the manhole cover.
As of 5pm, crews from Wellington Water were on site cleaning the area using water blasters and disinfectants.
The spill is believed to have been caused by a blockage in a Wastewater gravity pipe.
A sucker truck was being deployed to remove sewage from the stormwater system.
The Wellington region recorded 2096 sewage spills bursts last year, despite a target of no more than 100.
Wellington’s wastewater pipes have an average age of 51 years, the second oldest of any city in New Zealand.
Crews are on site trying to remove sewage from the stormwater system.
Thirty-three per cent of wastewater pipes in Wellington are in poor or very poor condition. No other city in New Zealand ranks above 11 per cent.