The Gore District Council contributed to some of the icy conditions it was warning motorists to be careful about early last week.
Garden sprinklers in parts of the main street were left on overnight on July 14 before temperatures dropped to -4.2°C the following morning, causing the water to freeze on the road.
That morning, in a social media post, the council warned motorists to "keep your speed down and increase your following distance" as there was black ice on roads throughout the district.
One person commented that having the sprinklers at the Hyde St/Main St roundabout going at midnight "wasn’t ideal".
Another person said they called the council’s emergency after-hours line to report the sprinklers were on, but it had been a "waste of time".
Parks and recreation manager Keith McRobie said the sprinklers should have been turned off for winter.
"We appreciate the potential dangers caused by the sprinklers going on a night when temperatures plummeted below freezing and we will put processes in place to ensure that our garden sprinklers are deactivated in winter in the future."
