Maribyrnong Council has expressed disappointment at reports of suspected looters in the floods area.

Mayor Cr Anthony Tran said that disasters can bring out the worst qualities in some people, while others excel at helping.

“We have a community who are going through the heartache of clearing flood contaminated materials from their properties. The last thing they need is people coming into the area trying to take what’s left,” Cr Tran said.

Mayor Tran said that unfortunately there will always be those seeking to take advantage of someone else’s woes. “While I appreciate this is distressing, I would ask our residents to focus on all the positives, not the actions of a few people who don’t deserve our time or energy.

“Let’s focus on the ways we are seeing our community come together – residents whose homes are safe who are turning up to help strangers with the clean-up, providing not just their time but their good will. This is what Maribyrnong is about. “

Any suspicious activity should be reported to Police.

Maribyrnong Council is reinforcing items that have been deposited on the nature strip are not there for the taking. They cannot be rehomed. They are there for disposal because they have been contaminated by floodwater. It is not safe to repurpose them.