A couple was forced to rescue a trapped driving instructor from 4ft of floodwater while firefighters stood by because they were ‘only allowed to go in waist-high’.
How The Couple Stepped-in
Filmmaker Jamie Price and his partner Danielle waded into the deep water because the motorist ‘looked like he was drowning’ when they arrived at the scene in Ingatestone, Essex, yesterday.
Two Essex fire and rescue crews, an ambulance and a police car were parked near the stricken vehicle, but Mr Price said he was shocked to see the emergency services were not doing more to help.
He said: ‘I noticed the driver was still in there and I thought, “Why is there a fireman standing beside him on the radio leaning up against the fence?”
‘I’m thinking, “Why are they telling him to stay there, why are they not helping him?” So I asked him and that’s when they said they were waiting for other crews to come because they’re only wader trained, and it’s too high for them for their training and what they’re allowed to do.’
Why The Couple Stepped-in?
Mr Price said that they feared the specialised crews would not arrive in time because they were coming from Colchester, which is why they decided to take action themselves.
He explained that the fire brigade was telling him not to help but that the motorist looked like he was going to drown.Â
Mr Price continued: ‘I thought he was going to die. I thought the man is trapped in the car up to his chest.
‘I knew for a fact the water was freezing cold. He’d obviously been in there for some time waiting for the fire brigade to arrive, plus we’d been there probably approximately five minutes before I got to the car in the water.’
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Statement From Fire Service
Essex Fire and Rescue Service said in a statement that: ‘Crews who arrived at the incident at Buttsbury Wash found a car stuck in over 1.2m of flood water.
‘Because of the depth, these crews requested additional support from our specialist water team while they remained at the scene to ensure the driver was safe. The driver got out of the car themselves.’
It comes as intense rainfall this weekend saw rivers burst their banks, roads cut off in villages and damage caused to homes and businesses.Â
Weather Updates
While Brits enjoyed a break in the weather with some sunny spells on Sunday afternoon, Met Office meteorologist Craig Snell warned it will be followed by the ‘next area of rain’, with heavy rain set to fall in northwest England and Wales today.
Meanwhile, a pub in Somerset has been submerged in knee-high floodwater after torrential downpours battered large parts of the country and sparked flooding and travel chaos.
Video footage showed staff at The George Inn, in Croscombe, wading through murky water as they illustrated the ‘sad reality’ for many flood-prone businesses.
Tables and chairs had been moved off the ground as they assessed the damage and waited for the water to subside.
