Probe into mystery sludge

ENVIRONMENTAL health officers will investigate after brown, watery sludge gushed into the Broadwater from a pipe in Labrador.

Local resident Steve Johnston said he had been walking along Marine Parade yesterday when he spotted the mess beginning to pour out around 9.30am.

“It’s like an oil leak, but it’s not oil, it had that visual,” he said.

“It seemed quite a speed, but we haven’t had rain. It looked a bit putrid; it moved quite quickly.”

Mr Johnston said the water didn’t smell or appear to look “overly toxic”.

He said he had never seen anything like it before despite walking along the esplanade regularly.

“My concern was contamination,” he said.

“A lot of people are out swimming.”

A Gold Coast City Council spokesperson said city environmental health officers were investigating the issue but had established that the brown water was sediment.

However, it is unknown where the water originated from.