A number of 30-year-old cars have finally been cleared from a Scottish beauty spot – after warm weather revealed them at the bottom of a muddy reservoir.
The host of 1980s and 1990s models were dragged clear from the reservoir at the Glennifer Braes, a popular sightseeing area in Paisley.
Specialist teams worked hard to get to the dumped vehicles, which included a 38-year-old Vauxhall Carlton, a 35-year-old Vauxhall Astra and a 34-year-old Nissan Prairies, and remove them from the Lower Glen Dam.
Bosses at Scottish Water praised the team, saying the mission was carried out with "military-style" precision to help avoid impact on the local wildlife or damage the environment around the waterway.
The operation by Scottish water, in conjunction with the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA), Police Scotland and the Ayrshire Rivers Trust, began after concerns about the old cars raised by locals.
The team included specialist divers and environmental protection experts, with it taking just one day for all of the cars to be removed safely, inspected by Police Scotland and then sent on to the scrappy.
The makes and models of the cars uncovered were a Rover 827 (1988); a Citroen AX (1995); a Ford Mondeo (1994); a Citroen XM (1989); a Nissan Prairie (1988); a Vauxhall Astra (1987); a Peugeot 605 (1990); a Vauxhall Carlton (1984); and Fiat Uno (year unknown).
It's been reported that a new gate has now been installed in the park to stop similar incidents happening again and prevent the reservoir from being used once more as a dumping ground.
Gerry O’Hara, Scottish Water project manager, said: “As a result of everyone’s hard work and the meticulous planning and safeguarding that went into this operation, we’re absolutely delighted that the nine vehicles have been successfully recovered.
“Our attention now turns to getting things in the park back to normal for everyone.
“We’re refilling the reservoir to its original level, in a controlled manner, and we’re continuing to test water quality to ensure there are no issues.”
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