Coronavirus: Man finds old car buried in garden during lockdown Published duration 9 April Related Topics Coronavirus pandemic

media caption Retro car unearthed in Yorkshireman's back garden

A man doing a spot of gardening while at home during the coronavirus outbreak has unearthed what is believed to be a Ford Popular car from the 1950s.

John Brayshaw, who lives in Heckmondwike, West Yorkshire, said: "It's not something you find every day - it is literally in the middle of my garden.

"It's just weird how it's down there."

Mr Brayshaw is appealing for anyone with information about how it came to be there to get in touch.

image caption He is appealing for help to solve the mystery as to how it got there

He said the car, grey in colour, was mostly intact, with its engine and registration plate.

image caption The car's registration plate

"I'd love to be able to get the car out, but I don't think it is possible by hand," he said.

The reason it was buried remains a mystery, but one theory is that at that time the price of steel had dropped so far you had to pay to have scrap taken away.

Little is known about the vehicle itself, but another suggestion is that it might be a former military vehicle.

image copyright David Hitchborne/Geograph image caption This is an example of a 1957 Ford Popular

The Ford Popular, often called the Ford Pop, was built by Ford UK in England between 1953 and 1962

In their day, Ford Pops could be seen on virtually every street across Great Britain

The Popular was developed as a budget alternative to the old Ford Anglia and Ford Prefect

Its model, the Popular 103E, was replaced with a newer version, the 100E, which continued production until 1962