Eastern European military vehicle is taken out of Fox’s Boatyard in March where it sank at the weekend during a test run

A military vehicle, the OT64, is raised from the river where it snak during a test run at Fox's Boatyard in March (Image: Archant)

The Eastern European troop carrier, the OT64, was being tested by businessman Richard Moore when it slowly sank in the mooring area.

The amphibious vehicle, made in Czechoslovakia and Poland in the 1960s, was being driven by its owner, businessman Richard Moore, who operates the country’s leading specialist military vehicle firm in the town.

He said at the time that it wasn’t the end of the world.

Today (Weds 2) it is being taken out of the water and will be drained ready for a clean up operation.

Mr Moore trades from Eastern and Central Europe and exports to other Western European countries

Many of his vehicles are exported to collectors worldwide with staff handling the necessary documentation.

The OT64 was produced during a very competitive cold war during the seventies.

“Therefore the Kremlin had to pump funds into the military to enable them to build solid, reliable trucks and tanks and APCs to a very high spec,”he said.

“The end results were very reliable units that could stand for months, operate in -50 to +50 degree temperatures, and at the same time be very easy to maintain.”