Pool rash prank apology
A man who claimed to have contracted a rash at a South Waikato public pool has publicly apologised saying it was a ‘‘stupid prank’.
Two weeks ago Ezra Takiri posted images of a nasty rash on Facebook which he claimed he contracted from the South Waikato Indoor Pools in Tokoroa.
Last week, however, Takiri was forced to apologise on The Genuine Tokoroa Facebook page saying it was a ‘‘stupid prank’’.
‘‘I was unaware of the damage I had created mainly because I was just seeking a laugh and a few people to like my status,’’ he wrote.
‘‘Now I realise the severity of my poor behaviour and I am sincerely sorry for my immature actions.’’
South Waikato District Council leisure services manager Heather Gaby said the council wasn’t notified about the incident after the claim was made but did see it on Facebook.
Gaby said the council wanted to ensure people that the pool water was tested regularly to prevent such situations and to remain within national standards.
‘‘We test [the likes of] water alkalinity and PH to ensure purity levels are appropriate to national standards. This testing is done by trained pool staff every three hours,’’ she said.
‘‘Once a day a laboratory technician from Watermark, our water supply and wastewater section, tests a sample and once a week a random sample is sent for microbiological testing by an external laboratory.’’
She said due to the regular testing there was no need to close the pools after Takiri’s post.