02 October 2025
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.
“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." ”
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.”
* Detailed analysis of non-fire incidents, year ending March 2025 - GOV.UK