Tauranga City Council is advising any residents who notices their water is a strange colour to run an outside tap for 5-10 minutes to clear it.

In a post to their Facebook page, the council says the colour is due to minerals in the water that have been flushed through the water supply pipes further up the line.

'Each year for a period of approximately six weeks, TCC's maintenance contractor Downer NZ Ltd will carry out the Annual Water Mains Flushing Programme throughout the city.

'This is an annual scheduled maintenance process that ensures the water quality in our pipes remains in tip-top condition. This may cause a temporary discoloration of water. The cause is most likely to be a build up of air or disturbance of sediment in the pipe following the flush.”

There may also be water discharged across the road during flushing.

If you've tried running your outside tap to clear any discolouration but it still continues, contact the Tauranga City Council on 07 577 7000.