A person was dramatically rescued from the water after they were trapped in a car in rapidly rising flood water in County Durham.
Crews from County Durham & Darlington Fire & Rescue Service attended the scene at Westgate Ford following reports that an occupant of a car was trapped this afternoon (October 26).
Firefighters used height equipment to get on top of the car and gain contact with the casualty before putting the casualty into a harness and pulling them to safety.
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Thankfully the occupant suffered no major injuries in the terrifying incident.
A spokesperson for the fire brigade said: "Earlier this afternoon, crews from Consett, Middleton and Teasdale and Bishop Auckland were called to reports of one occupant trapped in a car at Westgate Ford.
"With the water rising rapidly within the car, our fantastic crews got to work quickly and used working at height equipment to get on top of the car and gain contact with the casualty. Firefighter Scott then put the casualty into a harness and was pulled to safety by our firefighters.
"Thanks to the swift response of our crews, the occupant sustained no major injuries."
They added that they would like people to pay extra care at this time of year when driving on routes that use fords.
"We would like to take this opportunity to remind people that this time of year presents several driving related issues, one of which is the suitability of routes that use fords when water levels could be higher or more powerful than normal.
"Please consider alternative routes if your usual journey would involve a ford during the winter months."
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