A community war on water bottling

A Chinese-owned company's plan to expand its factory near Whakatane is being challenged by a group of Bay of Plenty residents.

Cresswell NZ has been granted consent to build two more water-bottling lines at Otakiri.

It will to enable the company to produce 156-thousand bottles of water every hour.

Sustainable Otakiri spokeswoman Maureen Fraser says the group is taking the company to the Environment Court.

She says the expansion would dramatically increase traffic in the area, and negatively affect waterways.