- Life-threatening incidents in England jumps from 161-a-year
average before covid to 323 annually since
- Weekend before last recorded at least nine people rescued
from cars caught in floods
- Fire brigade callouts to road traffic collisions hits record
Fire brigade rescues from vehicles caught in dangerous floods in
England are now running at twice the rate of pre-covid. These are
incidents considered life-threatening because a car in two feet
or more of water can float away to where it is deeper or where it
becomes impossible for occupants to escape, such as getting stuck
under bridges.
Last week (25 September), the Ministry of Housing, Communities
and Local Government released a report* analysing non-fire
incidents attended by the fire and rescue services. Accompanying
statistics show that, in the 10 years leading up to covid,
rescues of car occupants from severe flooding averaged 161 a
year. That has now leapt to 323 annually in the last three years.
The worst year was 2023-2024 when 521 rescues had to be carried
out.
The weekend before last, at least nine people had to be rescued
from cars caught in floods in Manchester and Wales (Streets left flooded after 20
hours of heavy rain - BBC News, Six people rescued by fire crews
from floods near Welshpool | County Times).
Separately, the analysis recorded 2024-2025 as setting a new
record for road traffic collisions (RTCs) attended by the fire
brigade. The 32,078 RTCs in England showed an increase of 0.7%
compared with the previous year (31,867), an increase of 3.1%
compared with 5 years ago (31,108), and an increase of 10%
compared with 10 years ago (29,090).
Those RTCs peaked during the evening rush hour from 17:00 to
18:00, while the number of RTC fatalities peaked between 22:00 to
23:00.
While peak years for rescues from cars in floods often matches
peak years for flooding incidents in general, drivers cannot
afford to let their guard down in other years. Some roads are
notorious for ‘drowned' cars, usually due to fords or
underpasses, but drivers are too often caught out by abnormal
events in places they were not expecting flooding or in
unfamiliar locations. That may be down to the unpredictability of
severe rainfall and sometimes failed drainage (Reason why a major roundabout is
still underwater after flash flooding left cars floating | Wales
Online).
Tony Rich, the AA's road safety expert and a veteran of dealing
with extreme weather callouts as an AA patrol, says: “Flash
flooding and sudden downpours that overwhelm drainage are now far
more frequent than they used to be. However, drowning the car is
not just a matter of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Too often, it is down to bad judgement by drivers.
“The ford or underpass that is usually driveable even with some
rain becomes a completely different obstacle after a deluge.
While the fire and rescue service records incidents where people
have driven into floods of two or more feet in depth, some cars
will float in less than 30cm of water. You would
hope that drivers might read the warning signs: severe rainfall,
kerbs that have disappeared underwater, obvious water flow or
indicated depth at fords. Unfortunately, many don't and a
‘drowned' car is not a breakdown but an insurance job, likely a
write-off.
“Some councils have tried to reinforce flooding threat signage
with ‘Road liable to flooding' warnings added (Portishead issued with number of
red flood alert warnings | Weston Mercury) but more may
be needed at notorious incident spots. Signs that offer
alternative routes may persuade more drivers to turn round and
not try their luck, particularly those who are unfamiliar with
the roads and weigh the chances of getting stuck as opposed to
getting lost.
“In many cases, there isn't much that can be done to prevent
driver stupidity but signage that deters most examples of
recklessness may be more cost-effective than sending out
roadworkers to close a road after an event or a fire engine to
rescue vehicle occupants.”
ends
NOTE TO EDITORS
* Detailed analysis of non-fire
incidents, year ending March 2025 - GOV.UK
