Two rescued from floodwater by boat after car gets stuck near Newbridge in North Devon

A woman had to be rescued from floodwater by an inflatable boat after her car got stuck near Newbridge this morning.

The 29-year-old woman raised the alarm with emergency services after her blue Citroën Saxo got stuck in “hip high” floodwater on a minor road between Tawstock and Newbridge.

Firefighters rescuing the man and woman in an inflatable boat after the car got stuck in floodwater near Newbridge this morning
Firefighters rescuing the man and woman in an inflatable boat after the car got stuck in floodwater near Newbridge this morning
Firefighters preparing to rescue the man and woman in an inflatable boat after the car got stuck in floodwater near Newbridge this morning
The floodwater covered the road between Newbridge and Tawstock today
This sign is situated on the road near to where the woman needed to be rescued. Photo: Tina Orr Munro.
The River Taw at Newbridge today. Photo: Will Topps.
The black arrow indicates the area where the rescue was carried out. The road remains closed between Tawstock and Newbridge, as indicated by the purple highlighter.
The River Taw at Umberleigh today. Photo: Farson Digital Water Cam.
The River Taw at Newbridge today. Photo: Will Topps.
The River Taw at Newbridge today. Photo: Will Topps.
Newbridge today. Photo: Will Topps.
The River Taw at Newbridge today. Photo: Will Topps.
Newbridge today. Photo: Will Topps.
The River Taw at Newbridge today. Photo: Will Topps.
Newbridge today. Photo: Will Topps.
The River Taw at Newbridge today. Photo: Will Topps.
The River Taw at Newbridge today. Photo: Will Topps.
The River Taw at Newbridge today. Photo: Will Topps.
The River Taw at Newbridge today. Photo: Will Topps.
The River Taw at Newbridge today. Photo: Will Topps.
The River Taw at Newbridge today. Photo: Will Topps.
The River Taw at Newbridge today. Photo: Will Topps.
The River Taw at Newbridge today. Photo: Will Topps.
The River Taw at Newbridge today. Photo: Will Topps.
The River Taw at Newbridge today. Photo: Will Topps.
The River Taw at Newbridge today. Photo: Will Topps.
The River Taw at Newbridge today. Photo: Will Topps.
Firefighters rescuing the man and woman in an inflatable boat after the car got stuck in floodwater near Newbridge this morning
The River Taw at Newbridge today. Photo: Will Topps.

Police, fire and ambulance crews attended the scene just before 10am.

The woman’s partner had attempted to rescue her from the water himself by wading down to her stuck car but to no avail.

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Barnstaple’s Specialist Rescue Team from the fire station used an inflatable boat to rescue the pair, bringing them safely out of the fast-flowing floodwater.

Matt Gilbert, a firefighter and water rescue instructor at Barnstaple Station, said the woman had attempted to drive through the deep floodwater and urged drivers not to make the same mistake.

He said: “It only takes 30cm of floodwater flowing at 6mph to move your average car. If the flow of the water increased anymore during this incident the woman could’ve ended up in all kind of trouble.

“It may look safe but you never know what’s around the corner - and in this case it suddenly got very deep.”

Firefighters attached the car, which has been deemed a write-off, to a nearby tree and have left it until the floodwater subsides and it can be retrieved.

The road remains closed between Tawstock and Newbridge due to severe flooding.

VIDEO:River Taw flooding at Newbridge, near Bishops Tawton: