Airbnb holidaymakers park car by river - and come back to it submerged in water
A couple on an Airbnb holiday have spoken of their 'disbelief' after their car was almost completely submerged by a river.
Chloe and Jason Knaepel unwittingly left their car in a flood hotspot near their accommodation during a short trip to Llanrwst in Conwy Valley - and woke up one morning to find their vehicle had been swallowed by an enlarged stream.
The pair, who had been in the area over the weekend to celebrate Chloe's 32nd birthday, had climbed Snowdon, toured Conwy Castle and were set for one final night in the Welsh town before returning home to Cambridgeshire, reports North Wales Live.
As their Airbnb lacked parking spaces, their host suggested they use the free Gwydyr car park across the River Conwy near the town’s bowling club.
At first there seemed to be no indication of any problems with their choice of parking, with the river so low that they saw a couple walking along the riverbed.
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The couple, from Cambridgeshire, had spent a weekend hiking in the Welsh mountains when heavy rain wrecked their plans (Hand-out)By the time Sunday came around, Chloe and Jason noticed the weather was taking a turn for the worse, but still didn't think anything of it - until they woke up the next morning at 7am, looked out from their window and saw that "everywhere was flooded."
As they waded through the floodwater, Jason and Chloe then discovered their Seat Leon was flooded up to its windows.
Recalling the scene, Chloe said: "The water had forced the boot open, so it must have been running with some force,
"We were in a state of shock and utter disbelief about what to do next.”
The couple then called their insurers, only to be told nothing could be done until water had receded below the car’s exhaust pipe.
But with melting snow still coming down from the mountains, and more rain in the forecast, the couple feared being marooned in the town for several days.
Needing some support to get them out of the situation, Chloe turned to Llanrwst Flood Action Group on Facebook - and was inundated with offers of assistance.
After discovering their car had been flooded, Chloe found help on a local Facebook group (Hand-out)
Their vehicle was eventually pulled out, and the couple returned home one day late in a hired car (Hand-out)One helping hand came from North Wales Recovery, based in Llandudno Junction, who she described as "wonderful".
"I don’t know how they did it, but they put on dry suits and managed to pull it out."
She revealed: "One told me they’d retrieved a campervan from the same car park last year. The driver had gone to sleep in the van only to be awoken by water pouring in – he had to swim to safety!"
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The couple finally made it back to Huntingdon in Cambridgeshire in a hire car on Tuesday, a day later than planned but grateful to be home.
As theirs had been the only vehicle in Gwydyr car park on Sunday night, the couple have since questioned whether flood warnings are adequate for visitors with no prior knowledge of the area, as there were no signs at the location.
One local resident also pointed out that there was no heads-up from their host either, saying: “It’s odd that the Airbnb owners did not warn you of the risk,”
“The torrential rain and all the snow in the hills should have meant something to them.”
Llanrwst deputy mayor Mostyn Jones has since brought up a request with local county councillors to install a “car park liable to flooding” sign.
Despite their unexpected parking problems, Jason and Chloe have enjoyed North Wales and are hoping to return soon to visit the area's famous Tu Hwnt I’r Bont Tearooms.
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