Three-year-old rescued by 'local hero' from car submerged in flooding

The rescuer had to get into the flood water themselves to help
The car was seen with its back window smashed
The car was seen with its back window smashed
West Midlands Police
Jordan King3 January 2024

A driver and a young child had to be saved from their car when it got stuck in flooding.

The pair found themselves trapped after heavy rain in Hall Green, Birmingham, on Tuesday.

But the driver, who has not been named, managed to secure the vehicle against a bridge to prevent it from being washed away.

Then, a brave “local hero” decided to enter the water to help them escape.

A photo posted by West Midlands Police shows the car’s back window smashed.

Officers on the scene praised the rescuer’s bravery.

Storm Henk battered large parts of southern England, the Midlands, East Anglia and Wales throughout Tuesday.

Flood warnings are still in place, with the majority covering the central part of the country, in Birmingham, Leicester and Northampton.

The Environment Agency said there were 368 active alerts in England for possible flooding, 322 flood warnings, meaning flooding is expected and, in Northampton, one danger to life severe flood warning.

Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue said they have received 140 flood related calls in the last 24 hours, the majority of which came in the southern end of the county.

Meanwhile, Leicestershire Police said a large number of homes are being affected by flooding in Loughborough, with police closing Belton Road from the junction of Jubilee Drive to Meadow Lane and A426 Lutterworth Road from Little Glen Road To Leicester Road Roundabout in Blaby.

The majority of the flood warnings are covering the central part of England, in Birmingham, Leicester and Northampton.

In Wales there was one severe flood warning, 15 flood warnings and 39 flood alerts, according to Natural Resources Wales.

Stefan Laeger, the Environment Agency's flood duty manager, said that the heavy rainfall means "significant local flooding" on the River Nene in Northamptonshire is "probable" until Thursday.

He said: "Recent and ongoing heavy rain is falling on already very wet ground and could see some riverside locations across England flood until Thursday, while surface water flooding is also possible at times during the next five days in parts of the country.

"Environment Agency teams will be out on the ground, working to minimise the impacts of flooding where possible.

“We advise people to stay away from swollen rivers and urge people not to drive through flood water as just 30cm of flowing water is enough to move a car."

The Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service was called out to The Ford in Kenilworth to rescue a motorist who got stuck trying to drive through flood water.

A spokesman said: "Due to the speed of the flowing water we used our inflatable sled to safely rescue the car's occupants. Please avoid the area and don't try to drive through flood water."

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