A motorist who forgot where he parked his car has been reunited with it after it was found, still in the same place, 20 years later.

The Volkswagen Passat had not been stolen, as its owner suspected, but hidden from view in a garage in an industrial building in Frankfurt, where it was discovered by property developers. Its owner, now 76, was reunited with his car, now 31, on Wednesday but found that it was no longer roadworthy.

Officials at Frankfurt city council have urged motorists to make a point of remembering where they parked, and not to get upset if they forget. After all, the car will turn up eventually.

The city began the identification process after being alerted by Hessian Federal Real Estate, which found the car during demolition of an industrial building. The car was holding up the building project. Police tracked down the last recorded owner, who was taken to view the car this week. He finally remembered parking it there in 1997.

"The car can no longer be driven and will be scrapped," the council said. "The moral of the story: do not forget your parking spot."

The Times