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Abandoned car in Lagan partly removed after decades in water

Chloe Gibsonand
Gráinne Connolly,BBC 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 which had been dumped in the River Lagan decades ago has been partly removed.

The rusted vehicle, which had deteriorated and begun to break apart was removed from the water near Lisburn on Sunday, following calls for it to be taken away.

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".

The Community Rescue Service (CRS) stepped in to help remove the vehicle from the river.

It said the car had been submerged for "53 years".

During a four-hour operation, which involved gaining access to the riverbank and bringing specialist equipment to the site, the team removed the upper portion of the vehicle.

The car dumped in a river for 'decades'

CRS Regional Commander Sean McCarry said the car had deteriorated to less than half of its original structure, with much of what remained embedded in mud and soil.

"Considering the amount of concern and public interest, it was decided for safety reasons that we should remove the visible portions of the vehicle despite their poor condition," he said.

McCarry said further debris could potentially be removed when river conditions allow.

The material recovered during the operation was taken away for disposal.

CRS said it would continue to coordinate with the council and local representatives, and would return to the site when conditions are suitable to assess and remove any further visible remains.

Alliance councillor Nicola Parker, who was present during the removal, said the car had deteriorated significantly after spending so long in the water.

"It has been in the water for so long, that it is now paper thin and there wasn't much to hold it together".

She said the recovery team encountered difficulties while trying to remove the vehicle, with the main base of the car buried in the riverbed.

The vice-chair of Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council's environment and sustainability committee added that they best possible outcome would have been to remove the car entirely but that was not possible.

Nicola Parker A large 4-4 that is painted white, grey and orange is parked on grass. In front of it is five people who are smiling at the camera. There are four men and one woman. The men are wearing all navy outfits with a logo on the chest. The woman has dark hair and is wearing a pale green jacket and white t-shirt. Nicola Parker
Cllr Nicola Parker along with members of the Community Rescue Service team

Parker also raised concerns about the environmental impact of the vehicle remaining in the river.

"It really shouldn't lie this long because of the wider pollution elements, the habitat, the ecology and the water, all of that is being affected by it," she said.

Parker said a lack of clarity over which agency was responsible for removing the vehicle had caused frustration.

"Legislatively, it doesn't fall under anybody's department" she said.

"Each of them have slightly different remits for different parts of water, but nobody was responsible for the removal of the car and that's what we were met with every time," she added.

"That provided us with a level of frustration because nobody was willing to say, 'let's get the better thing done here'," she said.

The Department of Agriculture said the Northern Ireland Environment Agency's Water Pollution Response and Enforcement Team and the Environmental Crime Unit had not previously received "direct reports regarding the presence of a car in the River Lagan".

It added that depending on land ownership, the "responsibility for any necessary remedial action will rest with either the landowner or the relevant council authority".