People are being urged to speak up about suspicious behaviour after a heap of dumped, decaying animal carcasses were pulled from a waterway in Maketu.

Bay of Plenty Regional Council removed the carcasses of cows, pigs, deer guts and other animal carcasses from the water near the outlet that flows into the Maketu estuary.

Dead animal remains pulled from a culvert near the Maketu estuary.

Regional Council Pollution Prevention Team Leader, Annabelle Ellis, says the animals had been in the water for a long time before being reported to council.

Staff had to remove them so the remains to prevent the culvert being blocked or floodgate becoming jammed.

'This follows illegal dumping of sheep guts, skins and heads in the Wairoa River in Western Bay in August this year.

'This sort of criminal behaviour pollutes the water and then the estuary the water flows into. In this case, if the floodgate was jammed open, tidal waters would flow through or flood waters could back up the drain, flooding low lying land.

'But the worst part is disposing of the mess, which is a very serious health and safety risk to staff, and this happens regularly. We really need someone to step up and identify the culprits.

'If these animals have been stolen, which is likely, they represent a big loss for farmers. The people who do this have no regard for animal welfare, people's property or the environment.”

Annabelle is urging people to report any dumping and record details of vehicles, people's clothing and time of day so that a prosecution could be taken.

'People need to speak up, and communities need to stand together to stop this happening in their neighbourhoods, especially in remote areas. The high cost of cleaning up is coming out of their rates,” she said.

Any suspicious activity or illegal dumping should be reported to police or Bay of Plenty Regional Council's Pollution Hotline on 0800 884 883.