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Car dumped in Lagan needs to be 'addressed once and for all'

Angus Harron and Amy MurrayBBC News NI
BBC A rusted, rotten car overgrown with weeds and surrounded by algae sits in the water of the River Lagan. The wheels are submerged beneath the water but the body of the car is entirely visible. The windows are down. It's a dusty orange-pink colour.BBC
The Department for Infrastructure said the car had been in the Lagan near Lisburn for decades

A car dumped in the River Lagan decades ago is a "matter that should be addressed once and for all", assembly member Robbie Butler has said.

The Lagan Valley politician made the comments following renewed calls for the removal of the rotten and rusted vehicle from the river near Lisburn.

The Department for Infrastructure (DfI), which is responsible for managing the flood risk from rivers, confirmed the car had been "present in the river for decades".

It added the vehicle was "not currently considered to have a significant impact on drainage or flood risk", so it had no plans to remove it.

Butler said removing the car "could be counterproductive" and that "experts in water-based nature and conservation should be the authority in making that case".

However, the Ulster Unionist politician said he was worried by the wider neglect of the river.

"Of greater concern is the lack of native fish, the lack of leisure opportunities and the absence of long-term investment in what should be the jewel of the Lagan Valley's natural environment," he said.

A shot of Robbie Butler looking down the lens of the camera. He's wearing a pink shirt and has grey hair and a greying beard.
Robbie Butler says the wider neglect of the Lagan is of even greater concern

The Green Party had said the issue was a "test" of whether "local agencies and Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council (LCCC) will take responsibility for long-standing pollution in plain sight".

One of its councillors in Belfast, Anthony Flynn, said different authorities were buck-passing over the problem.

"This car has been left in the river for years, right in the heart of the community", he said.

"If something like this can be ignored for so long, what message does that send about other fly-tipping sites?"

There are 'no plans to remove' the car which has been sitting in the Lagan for 'decades'

The vice-chair of the LCCC's environment and sustainability committee, Alliance councillor Nicola Parker, said the failure to remove the vehicle was unacceptable.

"It presents a real risk of damage to the environment in and around the River Lagan," she said.

"It's beyond time the council holds the department's feet to the fire."

She said there was an influx of concern from locals every year, especially during warmer weather from May to September.

"The nicer weather naturally brings more people out to the towpath," she explained.

"The water levels go lower and that's when you begin to see all the rubbish at the bottom - you see the car, there's trolleys, there's tyres.

"Some of my colleagues have been working on this for 10 years.

"For us, it's not about passing the buck anymore. It's about getting someone to take responsibility to remove and clean up the River Lagan."

An alternative angle of the car. Its boot is entirely caked in mud and overgrown with weeds. It's surrounded by green algae. It's windows are open.
The council says the car is exposed because of low water levels in the river

The Northern Ireland Environment Agency said neither its water pollution and enforcement team nor its environmental crime unit had "previously received direct reports" about the car.

It said that "depending on land ownership and taking into account the size and scale of the vehicle", responsibility for "any necessary remedial action will rest with either the landowner or the relevant council authority".

The council said it had met representatives from the Rivers Agency, which is managed by the DfI, and that it would "continue to engage with them to seek a solution".