Our ‘hot spot to dump cars’

Alex de Vos
Breakwater has emerged as a “hot spot” for dumping stolen cars.
Police Senior Constable Mark Helyer, of Melbourne’s search and rescue unit, said the suburb yielded five dumped cars when authorities pulled 20 vehicles from the Barwon River in Geelong last week.
Police identified one of the cars “on the spot” as a stolen vehicle.
“It’s an area used by local crooks to get rid of vehicles,” Sen Const Helyer said.
“And it’s an area that’s going to be monitored by the local water authority.”
Sen Const Helyer said Geelong police would continue investigations into the unidentified cars.
“It’s quite probable the others were stolen too,” he said.
Police began combing the vehicles last Friday as they capitalised on a rare chance to gather submerged evidence when Corang-amite Catchment Management Authority removed the vehicles as part of Clean Up Australia Day.
Last year the catchment authority worked with contractors to survey the river using a depth sounder to determine the location of the cars.
Authority spokesperson Mark Schirmer said the cars would go to a scrap metal business after police had finished their investigations.
The clean up was initially intended only to improve the health of the river, not to provide investigation opportunities for police.
Abandoned cars in waterways could seep pollutants such as petrol and oil into the river, he said.
“As the cars rust, parts can also break off, contributing rubbish to the river.”