Car rolls into harbour as handbrake left off

The owner of a Volkswagen Polo turned her back for five minutes only to find her car had plunged nose down into a harbour.

THe owner returned to find her car like this. Picture: Adrian McDowell

The call of the sea proved all too much for the little hatchback, which made its bid for freedom after its driver forgot to secure the handbrake.

Resident Adrian McDowell captured the incident at Fisherow Harbour Promenade in Musselburgh, East Lothian, on camera.

Adrian said: “I noticed some activity at the harbour and a number of people had spotted the car rolling over the harbour wall.

The car rolled into the harbour. Picture: Adrian McDowell

“It took two tow trucks to get it out and it was quite difficult. It took maybe about 40 minutes.”

The driver was not in the vehicle at the time, no one was injured and there was no damage to the harbour wall.

The car landed nose down on part of the beach not affected by the changing tides, making the recovery operation slightly easier.

Harbourmaster Alex Stewart, whose office is only a few yards from where the incident took place, was on holiday at the time, but was shown the photos on his return.

He said: “In the 60 years that I have been here - 38 of them as harbourmaster - this is the first time a car has run off that pier. It is the first time any of us here know of that

happening.

“If I’m parking my car right next to the harbour, I make sure the handbrake is on and I leave it in gear. That way it’s not going anywhere.”

A spokesman for Police Scotland said: “Police in East Lothian were alerted to Musselburgh waterfront on Wednesday, May 27, after a car rolled into the harbour at Fisherrow at around 8.15pm.

“The female owner of the VW Polo was not in the vehicle at the time and escaped injury.”