FIREFIGHTERS have reiterated their warning to motorist to not drive through floodwater after they had to carry out a number of rescues across Worcestershire in the space of a few hours.
In Doddenham, Broadwas, at 12.56pm on Sunday, three vehicles were stuck in floodwater, making the road impassable. Two Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Service (HWFRS) crews – one from Bromyard and one from Malvern – were called to the scene and three people were rescued by the water first responder crew.
The HWFRS boat crew from Worcester and water first responders from Droitwich went to the aid of two people in Smite Hill, Hindlip, when they were stuck in their vehicle. During that incident, at 2.55pm on Sunday, the Swiftwater Rescue Team and the water first responders used a rescue sled. The road was impassable due to floodwater.
Fire crews from Droitwich and Bromsgrove, along with the water first responders from Droitwich, were called to a vehicle trapped in floodwater in Astwood Lane, Hanbury, at 3.34pm on Sunday. Five people and a dog were rescued on that occasion.
And a vehicle was stranded in floodwater at Houndsfield Lane, Truemans Heath, at 5.30pm on Sunday, the water first responders from Droitwich, along with a West Midlands Fire Service crew from Billesley attended when a car was stuck in a ford.
A woman in her 40s and three children were led to safety using crew savers and a personal flotation device. All were fit and well.
Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Service always remind people not to drive through floodwater and to take notice of any signs in place.
The service says it only takes six inches of water before a driver can lose control of a small vehicle and, athough tempting, flooding is not the time for ‘sight seeing’.
There is also a danger that drivers do not know or realise how deep the water is and what objects lie beneath.
An HWFRS spokesperson said: “Watch out for washed-out roads, earth-slides, broken water or sewer mains and fallen objects.
“If the road ahead is flooded, choose another route, do not attempt to drive over it. It is easy to underestimate the power of fast moving water.”
