German
police were left speechless at the weekend when they stopped a group of
inventive revellers cruising around town in a unique swimming pool-car.
The water wagon was spotted careering along Eibenstock near Chemnitz, southern Saxony, by a lone police sergeant on motorcycle.
'I
saw the strangest-looking convertible I have ever seen - a roofless
BMW, without registration plates, bordered around the open top with
wooden boards and fake plastic flowers. It was also full of water,' he
later said.
Aside from the driver, the car held three young males
clad only in swimming trunks - one of whom was lolling on the boot with
his feet dangling down into the vehicle.
'All of them appeared drunk,' the police said.
The sergeant ended up chasing the BMW as it sped off into a car park - losing much of its liquid load as it went.
The
young men sloshed to a halt and jumped out, fleeing across a nearby dry
riverbed, where they hid as police swarmed around the vehicle.
It
turned out the DIY car crew had hollowed out the inside of the vehicle,
sealed and waterproofed it, painted it swimming pool blue and filled it
with water for a grand day out.
Concerned that the men would try to
return and make a getaway, the sergeant let the air out of the tyres and
disconnected the spark plug leads.
Eventually the driver returned to
fetch his belongings from the boot. The visibly intoxicated
27-year-old, who said he hadn't been driving the unregistered vehicle,
was allowed to get his shoes and wallet in return for a blood sample.
Police
said they were investigating the man on suspicion of drink-driving and
of driving an uninsured, unregistered vehicle. Whether or not driving a
car filled with water is an offence is something prosecutors are
studying.
