Dumped: 4x4 stolen from near Bridgnorth ends up in River Severn at Ironbridge
A stolen 4x4 been found dumped in the River Severn near Ironbridge – more than a week after the theft took place.
Police have been investigating the theft of the Isuzu Trooper from a farm in Aston Botterell, near Bridgnorth - 17 miles away - on September 27.
Just after 1pm on Thursday, an angler saw the 4x4 vehicle partially submerged in the river, close to the Boat Inn pub in Jackfield.
Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service and West Mercia Police were called to the scene as is was feared there was a possibility someone could have been in the vehicle when it went in the river.
Firefighters launched their rescue boat and were able to conduct a thorough search of the vehicle and surrounding area.
The number plates had been removed from the vehicle and it was not until the VIN number was identified that it was confirmed that it was the stolen Isuzu.
The police are checking with their partner agencies to see how the vehicle can be recovered from the "difficult" location.
A police spokesperson said: "On Wednesday, September 27, a farmer from Aston Botterell called the police to report that a blue Isuzu Trooper Duty 4x4 had been stolen from his farm.
"Sometime between 1am and 4am the vehicle had been stolen. No-one at the farm witnessed the offence.
"Police investigations into the crime centred on notifying all officers and Police Information Technology systems so that any sightings of it would be investigated. Checks on the National Automatic Number Plate Recognition showed that the vehicle had not been driven past any of the camera positions locally or nationally."
Anyone who witnessed anything that they believe may be linked to these incidents, or have any information that may identify who was involved, should contact the police on 101 and refer to incident 0530S 051017.
Alternatively, contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111 or at crimestoppers-uk.org
