Stolen septic truck spotted in Chch

A stolen septic truck stopped to fill up in Christchurch, police say.

Police are trying to get to the bottom of a septic truck which made a clean getaway after it was stolen from a Dunedin yard on Tuesday, about 4.30am.

The distinctive truck has a blue cab with a bright yellow tank on the back and was spotted at a service station in Christchurch on Tuesday night, Sergeant Steve Aitken said.

That followed an earlier sighting in Oamaru at 11.45am.

A spokeswoman for the company – Barry Dell Plumbing – confirmed the truck’s septic tank was empty.

The thief, who spent about an hour in the Dunedin yard, ended up using the truck to ram the locked gates.

The company’s name was written on the side of the truck, which had since been involved in several petrol drive-offs in Dunedin.

However, the thief must have been a ‘‘real thicko’’, as he initially put diesel in the petrol truck, she said.

The company had since sourced a CCTV image of the man and circulated that via social media.

‘‘We think it has been stolen for a purpose,’’ she said.

Police believe the 1986 Nissan Atlas truck, registration number TR993, could potentially be anywhere in the South Island.

Anyone with information on the truck’s location was asked to contact Dunedin police by calling 03 471 4800 or anonymously via Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.