When I head down to the local state park, I expect beautiful landscapes, fresh air and walking trails. I don’t expect a lake to be filled with rusting cars. However, visitors to Gleniffer Braes Country Park in Scotland got to experience the sights and smells of 30-year old vehicles left for ruin in the elements.
Local authorities had known that cars were sitting in the Lower Glen Dam Reservoir for at least four years. The reservoir is just over 7 miles away from the center of Glasgow, Scotland’s largest city. In 2018, Scottish Water and Police Scotland sent divers into the reservoir to try and identify the vehicles. Scottish Water said in a statement, “A risk assessment was carried out back in 2018 to determine if any action should be taken. It was deemed safer to leave the vehicles where they are and the situation will continue to be monitored.”
Scottish Water owns the Lower Glen Dam Reservoir and doesn’t use the reservoir for drinking water. Though, it seems pretty risky to just leave abandoned cars sitting in the body of water. As Scotland went through a dry spell, the water level got low enough to expose some vehicles to the air.
Nearby residents got in touch with their local representative to get something done about the cars. Local councilor Stephen Burns told Glasgow Live, “There’s hardly any water in there and it’s absolutely stinking. I don’t think the cars are new, I think they’ve been there for a few years. People are wanting something done about it.”
Earlier this week, Scottish Water finally recovered the dumped cars over a single day with the assistance of a few other agencies. The vehicles removed from the reservoir were a 1988 Rover 827, a 1995 Citroen AX, a 1994 Ford Mondeo, a 1989 Citroen XM, a 1988 Nissan Prairie, a 1987 Vauxhall Astra, a 1990 Peugeot 605, a 1984 Vauxhall Carlton and Fiat Uno.
In a statement released by Scottish Water, the project manager said, “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. Mother Nature will take its course and the people of Paisley can once again enjoy this space in a safe manner.”
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