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.
However, 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.
Further guidance on this and a range of other related topics can be found https://bit.ly/3nmsdml
