Man rescues stranded driver as firefighters watch

Emergency services were called to a ford near Billericay in Essex on Sunday

A driving instructor stuck in 1.2m (4ft) of floodwater was rescued by another motorist as firefighters watched on.

Emergency services were called to Buttsbury Wash ford near Billericay, Essex, on Sunday following hours of rain.

Essex County Fire and Rescue Service said the crew that first arrived had to wait for a "specialist water team" before being able to enter the water.

Jamie Price, a film-maker who helped the man out of the car, said he was surprised firefighters were not able to assist.

"The firefighters said the driving instructor was OK but he was on the phone panicking to the operator and he was in a degree in shock," Mr Price said.

"I tried the car handles and that's how we got him out."

Mr Price said the driving instructor seemed "disorientated and very cold" after the rescue.

The fire service insisted crews "remained at the scene to ensure the driver was safe".

The driving instructor was taken to hospital for treatment

Mr Price said he and his partner Danielle, both 32, were first made aware of the incident after seeing two fire engines drive past earlier that morning.

The pair often help to pull motorists from floodwater across Essex and post footage of the rescues online.

Mr Price said he had attended about 200 rescues over the past year and had rescued other drivers from Buttsbury Wash in higher water.

"There's so much red tape, the firefighters had their hands tied," he said.

"If I was able to do it so simply, why were they not able to? The local fire service need to have the equipment to do the job."

Mr Price said he filmed his rescues "to protect himself" in the event that anything got damaged.

Essex Fire and Rescue Service said: "Crews who arrived at the incident found a car stuck in over 1.2 metres of floodwater.

"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."

The AA recommends never driving into flood water that is moving or more than 10cm (4in) deep.