Ford Cortina pulled from Hampstead Heath pond

A rusty Ford Cortina has been dragged from the bottom of a Hampstead Heath pond.

The car was found when the Model Boating Pond was drained on Tuesday night as works start on a £15 million project to extend the height of the existing dams to prevent flooding.

See also: Woman dies during romp in car after vehicle rolls into lake

Photographer Ron Vester visited the scene and told the Camden New Journal: "One of the windows was broken and it was covered in mud. It's obviously been there since the '60s - it was ghastly. There was a big crowd and a few school kids came along to see what all the fuss was about.

"Fishermen have been saying for years and years that there was a car in the pond...and some even claim that there's a second car down there hidden under the silt."

Pictures of the car were uploaded to Facebook by Bruno Saski Photography.

The City of London Corporation, which has managed the heath since 1989, said it was uncertain how the vehicle came to be at the bottom of the pond.

Speaking to the Standard, a spokesman said: "It may well have been dumped before [1989] but we can't be 100 per cent certain."

A 24-inch silver eagle ornament was also found in the pond. Both objects are being turned over to police for investigation.

Richard Gentry, head of the City of London Corporation's Hampstead Heath constabulary, said: "A car has been exposed and a metallic eagle found by contractors during safety works to the Model Boating Pond.

"Both objects have been reported to the Metropolitan Police as they may be of evidential value."

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