Last updated at 09:07 23 July 2007

Top Gear presenter Richard Hammond abandoned his Porche after being caught up in traffic chaos caused by the floods and pulled on his running gear to race home 16 miles on foot in time for his daughter's fourth birthday.

Hammond, 37, had been driving from London to Herefordshire when he got stuck in traffic caused by the flooding 16 miles from home.

After a 12-hour journey, the presenter abandoned his 911 Carrera in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, at around 3am on Saturday morning and ran home.

"There was no way I was going to miss it - I'm away from home enough as it is," he said.

"Luckily I had my running gear and a waterproof jacket with me in the car, so I decided to run the rest of the way. It was pitch black but I just put my iPod on and went."

The star, nicknamed Hamster, arrived home in Bromesberrow at 5.30am, in time to spend the day with wife Mindy and daughters Willow and Izzy.

Hammond, who was injured in a high-speed crash in September last year, said: "I had a hot shower and a bacon buttie and not long after that Willow got up and we had a lovely time for her birthday."

The Mirror also reported that Hammond leapt into action by borrowing a fishing boat to rescue neighbours from their flooded house in nearby Hawbridge.