Water, water everywhere...
Fire service rescue another motorist from Watery Gate
ANOTHER driver got into deep water attempting to cross the infamous flooded ford on Watery Gate Lane.
A man became trapped in his vehicle in one metre of water, with the fire service using inflatables to rescue him from the risky road between Earl Shilton and Thurlaston last Wednesday.
Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service (LFRS) posted an update on its website: “Gentleman trapped in vehicle in approximately one metre of water, technical rescue personnel used inflatable rescue path to rescue male.”
Fire crews from Hinckley, Western and Southern station braved the waters to free the man.
Hinckley fire station said on its Facebook page: “And just to round off our day of #NotJustFires we have the areas favourite type of call.... Waterygate Lane. #KeepingItZippedEmoji”
There was a string of incidents of vehicles getting stuck in the flooded area in December 2017 and in January 2018, including two separate incidents that happened in just 30 hours.
In one incident in early January, fire- fighters came to the rescue of three women and a puppy in their Peugeot, after the driver ignored tape, cones and flood warning signs and decided to try their luck.
The ford is notorious for trapping motorists who think their vehicles can cope with the water despite signage warning of the dangers and highlighting the water depth.
Just six inches of water will reach the bottom of most passenger cars, which is enough to cause loss of control and possible stalling as water seeps into the exhaust or air intake.
Two feet of flowing water can sweep away most vehicles as the wheels lose grip, including large four-wheel drive cars.
LFRS said in a previous warning following a similar incident: “Please do not drive into flood water as you may not be lucky enough to drive out again.
“Take notice of road signs and don’t take any risks. “Think. Don’t sink.” The latest incident was on May 2 at around 7.30pm.