WWII tank recovered after 74 years underground

The amphibious vehicle is one of 16 deployed to protect Lincolnshire from the 1947 floods

The tank, which is 26 feet long and weighs 20 tons, was buried 30 feet underground in Cambridgeshire Fens (PA)

A World War II landing craft has been discovered by volunteers after being buried underground for 74 years.

Volunteers spent five days digging up the tank, which was one of only 16 deployed in Lincolnshire to protect the town in March 1947 after floods caused the nearby River Welland to burst its banks.

Five of the amphibious vehicles went missing as the flood water was pumped back, but volunteers hope to restore and display the discovered tank as a memorial to the 1947 floods.

Daniel Abbott, chairman of the Crowland Buffalo LVT group, said the tank was in “fantastic condition for its age.”

Daniel Abbott, chairman of the Crowland Buffalo LVT group, poses with the tank (PA)

“This is something I have been working on for three years, and I never dreamt in five days we would have one out above ground for people to see,” he said.

He added: “I’ve always said I wanted to get one out in time for the 75th anniversary and we are ahead of schedule now.”

The tank, which is 26 feet long and weighs 20 tons, was buried 30 feet underground in Cambridgeshire Fens.