THE saga over the removal of a suspected stolen car from a river which ended up there after a crash in which three teenagers had to be rescued from the vehicle rumbles on after a visit from Government officials.

The driver of a red VW Golf failed to pull over for police on Loxham Street in Moses Gate after midnight on January 22.

Following a short pursuit the car crashed into wooden fencing and was left partially submerged in water after sliding down a 60m embankment.

Emergency services including an air unit and paramedics, rushed to the scene.

Three teenage boys were rescued by firefighters and a fourth youth was involved but did not need to be saved.

The suspected car thieves, aged between 13 and 16, teenagers were taken to hospital to be assessed for non-life-threatening injuries, police said.

A police investigation was launched but the wrecked car still lies in the river, more than seven months on.

And after Storm Francis struck the borough two weeks ago, the car has turned upside down and moved further upstream.

The Bolton News contacted the Environment Agency more than two weeks ago about the issue and a spokeswoman said the public body deals with obstructions in the water if they cause a problem to its surroundings, such as a blockage.

However, the agency does not usually deal with incidents such as these if they pose no risk to the environment.

EA officers went to the site three days after we contacted the agency and concluded that it would not be possible to move the car.

An EA spokeswoman said: "The team visited the site on the August 24 and although the car has moved slightly we still wouldn’t be able to remove it with the equipment we have.

"As suspected, it is currently not posing a flood or pollution risk at this time."

The car sits in the River Croal, around 700m away from the River Irwell.

Farnworth councillor Paul Sanders has been in talks with Bolton Council about the issue, which has taken a back seat due to the coronavirus situation in the borough.

The equipment and logistics needed to retrieve the vehicle from the water would have to be considered carefully by whichever public body is tasked with shifting the car.

And the costs of work needed to flatten and get rid of trees as well as recreate landscape would be "astronomical", Cllr Sanders said.

He added: "I am continuing to seek any progress and am asking for updates on the case."