Trapped for an hour in effluent pond

KIRSTY JOHNSTON

Last updated 11:03 19/11/2012

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A farm worker trapped under a pump in an effluent pond had to be rescued by firefighters this morning.

The man spent more than an hour in the pond, which was on a farm on State Highway 1 at Awanui near Kaitaia, before emergency services could pull him out.

Northern fire spokeswoman Nicole Bernard said firefighters were called just after 9am.

They used a digger to lift the pump off the worker's foot, with staff wearing chemical suits to avoid contamination.

Bernard said the man was freed just after 10am. He was taken to hospital by St John ambulance with a leg injury.

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