Dutch police have fished six cars out of the Noord-Willems canal in recent days and describe the find as a ‘very unusual haul’.

Divers were called in after the first car came to the surface last week. They found a further five vehicles and a sunken boat in the same spot.

After examining the chassis numbers, the police concluded the cars had all been stolen from private owners in the region between 1995 and 1997. The canal stretches between Assen in Drenthe and the city of Groningen.

‘This happened 20 years ago and all the evidence has gone. We’ve done what we could and now consider the case to be closed,’ a spokesman told local broadcaster RTV Drenthe.