Couran Cove community's final plea as power switched off
Hundreds of residents living at Couran Cove Island Resort off the Gold Coast have been forced to leave while others are facing uncertainty after their essential services were shut off today.
Police were on high alert amid fears tensions would boil over as electricity, water and gas services were cut from all 360 dwellings at 10am.
The residents at Couran Cove, a development on South Stradbroke Island, have been in an ongoing legal dispute with service providers over claims millions are owed.
READ MORE: Mum moves out of home on Queensland island with no power as dispute grows
Some locals say they plan to stand their ground using portaloos and batteries to get them through, though many have already fled to the mainland. Nine
It has been nine weeks since some residents had their gas, power and water switched off over claims of unpaid levies.
The remaining residents now fear they'll be locked out of the community, with many claiming they've been offered almost no help.
Police officers said they were on standby to travel to the island if things became hostile amid the shutdown, however, no police reports have been filed.
Paramedics were called to take one patient off the island and into medical care.
Locals who chose to stay ferried in fuel and generators for the essentials, as well as using portaloos and batteries.
Many more residents fled to the mainland today as the conditions became unliveable.
READ MORE: Utilities cut off in Queensland community over bill dispute
Residents have been forced to flee as the island became unlivable. Nine
They say the situation is now "desperate".
"It's pretty empty," property owner Eva Bentley said.
"So there's a few people that are probably going to leave soon, so that'll be last minute.
"People are uncertain, they don't know what's going to happen.
"There's not much information."
Calls for the Queensland government to appoint an independent manager to resolve the feud have begun to mount.
The government says it's monitoring the situation, though said it's an "incredibly complex, private dispute".
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