Lyon, September 7 – A driver, found to be under the influence of alcohol, has been ordered by the Lyon administrative court to personally retrieve her car, an Audi, from the bottom of the Miribel Canal. The ruling aims to prevent a “release of pollutants” that could compromise the drinking water supply for the Métropole de Lyon.
Vehicle Plunged into Canal in July
The incident occurred on Sunday, July 7, 2024, around 7:00 AM, when the vehicle “left the road” and “fell into the Miribel Canal” at “kilometer point 16.4” on the “right bank.” Both occupants managed to exit the sinking car and cling to a branch before being rescued by firefighters.
The driver, who tested positive for alcohol, had subsequently been “served notice” to have the “wreck of her vehicle” removed from the canal but had failed to comply.
Threat to Lyon’s Drinking Water Supply
Voies Navigables de France (VNF) expressed concern, stating that “the vehicle is located in a Zone naturelle d’intérêt écologique, faunistique et floristique (ZNIEFF) (…) and the risk of it causing pollution, particularly from hydrocarbons, cannot be ruled out.”
VNF further added, “This pollution would be all the more detrimental given the nature of the site: the wreck is located upstream of the Lyon metropolis’s catchment fields and could compromise, due to the release of pollutants, the drinking water supply of the Lyon metropolis.”
Court’s Injunction and Penalties
VNF therefore petitioned the Lyon administrative court to issue an “injunction” to the owner of the Audi to “clear the public river domain with restoration at her sole expense and risk” within “one month” and with a penalty of “€50 per day of delay.”
The administrative court of Lyon, in a judgment dated May 21, 2026, which has just been made public, agreed, stating that “such unauthorized occupation constitutes an obstruction of the public domain, constituting the offense provided for.”
The law stipulates that “residents, barge operators, and other persons are required to remove stones, earth, wood, stakes, boat debris, and other obstructions that, by their act or the act of persons or things under their responsibility, are found on the public river domain.” The magistrates noted that “no element of the debates indicates that the interested party proceeded with the removal of the vehicle in question.” Consequently, they issued an “injunction” for her to “clear” the public river domain under the conditions set by VNF.
Financial Penalties and Potential Forced Removal
The court warned, “In case of non-execution of this injunction (…), Voies Navigables de France is authorized to proceed ex officio, at the expense of the interested party, with the removal of the vehicle from the public river domain.”
The driver was also fined €2,000 and will have to pay an additional €150 to VNF for the “establishment costs” of its report dated February 11, 2025.
