Moment BMW swept away by Thames at high tide is pulled from river

Car drifting away on the Thames by Putney Bridge
Julie Fitzgerald
10 March 2016

This was the moment a BMW was lifted from the bottom of the Thames after being swept away by the tide.

The slow drift down river of the luxury vehicle with its hazards flashing was caught on film on Wednesday, with the footage being shared thousands of times.

It had been parked close to the river at Putney Embankment as the tide came in at about 2pm.

Twenty-four hours later workers on the Thames were spotted hauling the car from the water using a barge-mounted crane.

Car drifting away on the Thames by Putney Bridge

It came as the Environment Agency issued flood alerts for major stretches of the river.

Julie Fitzgerald, who works for Adnams Brewery, was visiting the Thames Rowing Club for a business meeting when a friend spotted the car being retrieved from the water not far from where it was originally parked.

“I asked about parking on the day and they warned us to be careful around the river and told us about the car,” she said.

“As we left my colleague shouted that they were hauling it out and I got some pictures of it sailing away.

“I used to work at Fuller's [another brewery] further down the river so I've seen what can happen and, more importantly, how quickly.”

The driver of the vehicle is still to be located.

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