Man and dog die as car submerged in ford - ITN

A 52 year-old man and his dog have died after the car they were travelling in became completely submerged in water as it drove across a ford.

Officers were called to Thornford Road in Compton Wood, Hampshire, on Monday morning after receiving reports of the trapped vehicle.

A woman, aged 54, who was driving the car at the time, was able to escape from the vehicle; however, the man had to be recovered from it and was pronounced dead at the scene. The dog also died in the incident.

Emergency services have confirmed that the woman was taken to Basingstoke and North Hampshire Hospital, where she is being treated for shock.

A spokeswoman for Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service said fire crews attended the scene after being alerted just after nine o'clock.

She added: "They quickly located the car, which was completely submerged under five foot of fast-flowing water. The woman from the car had already managed to swim free of the vehicle and reach the bank.

"Newbury firefighters, who had been joined by a crew from Kingsclere, then mounted a rescue operation using ladders from both sides of the banks of the ford to reach the vehicle.

"They broke the window of the vehicle and pulled a man free."

CPR was then carried out to try to revive the man.

A Hampshire Police spokeswoman said the conditions on the road, including the impact of recent rainfall on water levels at the ford, would form part of the force's investigation into the man's death.

Floods have caused havoc in various parts of the UK over the last few days, and Gloucestershire has been particularly badly affected. The Environment Agency has imposed 38 flood warnings across the South West, North East, Midlands, and the Anglian area, with 22 in the South West alone.