Women waded into floodwater in Hockley and pulled children from windows of 4x4 vehicle stuck under railway bridge

This article is more than 7 years old

This article is more than 7 years old

A man has paid tribute to rescuers who saved him and three young children from a sinking car after it became trapped in floodwater.

Dramatic video footage captured the scene as the youngsters were pulled from the windows of the 4x4 vehicle after getting stuck under a railway bridge in Hockley, Essex, on Sunday.

Scott Swinford, 30, from Southend, was in the Mitsubishi Pajero with his eight-year-old son Reece, his niece, Jessica, six, and four-year-old nephew, Alfie, when they became trapped.

Friends Hannah King, 21, and Emma Burles, 26, from Hockley, waded into the 6ft-deep water to rescue the group helped by three young men who had gone to watch the floods.

Burles, a mother of one, said: "A lot of people were standing around at first but I don't think they realised how serious the situation was. It's such a crazy thing to happen.

"When I saw there were three children inside I think my mother's instinct kicked in. At first the children were calm but when the water came up to their legs they started to get scared. They were really cold, the girl's lips were blue."

The rescuers pulled the children from the car before helping Swinford escape.

They were later given shelter at the nearby Lime Court sheltered housing scheme.

Swinford said: "My vehicle is 7ft-high and been through lots of flooded roads. It's built that way. I've never seen anything like that before. As I put the car into reverse the current of the flood water just lifted us further in. I quickly opened the windows so we wouldn't become trapped but the water started coming in through the floor, air vents and windows."

Swinford eventually recovered his vehicle by tow truck at about 11.30pm when the water had subsided.

He said: "I just want to say to everyone who helped us – a big thank you."

A video of the incident uploaded to YouTube by Andy Cause has attracted thousands of views.

A user comment on the video said: "I would like to say a very very big thank you to all the people that helped rescue my Grandchildren & my Son-In-Law you were all brilliant thank you all again from the bottom of my heart you all done a fantastic job xxxxxx."

Heavy flooding has caused significant disruption in parts of the county over the weekend, with Essex fire and rescue answering more than 300 calls for help as the result of overnight floods.