Woman rescued from car in flooded ford
Firefighters were called to assist at the scene of a woman stuck in her car in a flooded ford near Chelmsford.
When fire crews arrived they reported the occupant was stuck in their vehicle in 4 foot of water. The water had entered the vehicle and was now up to the women's chest. Firefighters from Chelmsford Fire Station were first on scene and kept the woman calm until the specialist boat team from Colchester arrived.
Three firefighters waded into the water using safety equipment to make sure the woman was rescued and brought to dry land.
The woman was rescued from her vehicle by firefighters by 12pm and left in the care of the Ambulance Service.
Station Manager Howard Midwood said:
"If you see flood water, turn around and find another route. Water this deep is enough to float and drag a car a considerable distance. It's not worth taking the risk.
"This type of incident is easily avoided - if you see any flooded roads, simply do not drive through them. Today we have had to use a number of officers, crews and specialist units to assist at the scene, all resources which have been tied up and not available to other emergencies."
Stay safe while driving in heavy rain/flooding
- Keep an eye on weather reports for flooding in your area. Do not travel in heavy rain unless absolutely necessary
- Do not ignore road closed signs
- Never attempt to cross or drive through floodwater if you don’t know how deep the water is. Just two feet of water will float a car
- Never try to swim through fast flowing water or floodwater – you may get swept away or be injured by an object in the water
- Don’t assume fords are safe to cross just because the road is not closed. Always look at the river level gauge and use your common sense.
More info can be found on our website: https://www.essex-fire.gov.uk/staying-safe-in-flood-water
