The vehicle has been in the river in Bute Park since Storm Dennis hit in 2020
A CAR which had been submerged in the River Taff in central Cardiff for nearly two years has finally been pulled out of the water.
The vehicle – possibly a Fiat 500 or small Citroen – is believed to have been in the Taff since Storm Dennis, which caused flooding along the river in February 2020.
But it’s the first time conditions have been suitable to haul it out.
This week, passersby in Bute Park watched as the beaten-up car was finally raised from the riverbed and loaded onto a pontoon.
Tim Gifford, Cardiff’s deputy harbour master said: “We have tried to remove the vehicle previously but due to delays caused by Covid, manning levels and having the correct river flows and weather conditions, this is the first fully prepared exercise we’ve been able to put together.”
The car became something of a landmark in the city centre. Its wheels and undercarriage could often be spotted protruding from the water between the Millennium Bridge and Cardiff Bridge when the water level was low. Birds enjoyed perching on its wheels.
During this week’s recovery operation, it was attached to a metal frame and raised from the shallow water onto a floating pontoon by marine engineering specialists Edwards Diving Services.
Paul Edwards, who runs EDS and took part in the operation, said: “We don’t pull too many cars out of docks, although there is a reservoir in London that’s got thirty of them in.”
When the car was first noticed in March 2020, the Fire and Rescue service were called out to investigate. After a search operation, also attended by RNLI Penarth, it was found to be a scrap car which they believed had been washed into the river during Storm Dennis.
Mr Gifford said: “It’s a very small vehicle with best guesses by the team being a Fiat 500 or possibly a small Citroen.” He said that it was too badly damaged to be able to tell the make for sure.
EDS are the same company that pulled the Edward Colston statue out of Bristol harbour after the slave trader’s statue was toppled and thrown in by Black Lives Matter protestors.
