The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
A police probe has been launched amid reports a car was maliciously pushed into a Mearns harbour.
A POLICE PROBE has been launched after reports a car was maliciously pushed into a Mearns harbour.
Emergency services were called to Johnshaven after a “loud bang” was reported by residents and the blue Vauxhall Astra was seen bobbing in the water.
The car was badly damaged as choppy conditions saw the vehicle smashed against the harbour wall several times before finally going under.
Grampian Police confirmed investigations got under way over the weekend, following the incident at around 11pm on Friday night.
The sea was so rough Montrose RNLI had to drive their inshore lifeboat round by road and launch from the village slipway.
An eyewitness, who asked not to be named, said: “I went outside for a cigarette and just heard this big bang.
“I went round to see what had happened and there was this car just floating in the water.
“It kept banging off the harbour wall because the sea was quite rough. Nobody seems to know how it happened or who it belongs to.”
HM Coastguard Montrose sector manager Ross Greenhill said glass was found on the quayside where the vehicle had been parked before going over the edge.
He added: “The police were in attendance when we arrived on scene and the car was visible just under the surface of the water.
“We had the boat from Montrose RNLI brought round by road as the weather conditions were too severe to launch by sea.”
The small lifeboat was used to locate the vehicle, which had sunk to about a metre and a half below the surface.
Crew members used the paddles of the boat as poles to establish where the car was and were able to put an anchor through the window to make its location more obvious
Grappling hooks were used to attach a tow rope and the car was then hauled back to shore.
It took until 3.30am for the vehicle to be pulled out of the harbour and removed from the slip.
Mr Greenhill added: “It is still under investigation but the initial thoughts are that somebody has broken into the vehicle while it was parked on the quayside and let the handbrake off.”
Reports from the local area suggest the car may belong to a holidaymaker at a local caravan park.
Nobody was injured during the incident and police have not named. the car’s owner.