Land Rover driver ignores road barriers 'thinking car could swim'

A Land Rover ignored road closure barriers and became stranded in flooded water. Merseyside Police and Merseyside Fire and Rescue were called to Peasley Cross Lane, in St Helens, at around 6.45pm on Monday, September 30.

The car was stuck in approximately two feet of water with the driver already out of the vehicle, the fire service said. In a post on X, Merseyside Police's road policing unit said the driver ignored the road closure barriers which were put in place as the road had become flooded after heavy rain.

They said: "The driver of this Land Rover decided to ignore the road closure barriers on a flooded road, thinking their vehicle could swim. The vehicle proved otherwise. Remember - the barriers and closures are there for a reason. Driver reported."

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Merseyside Fire and Rescue said the car was moved to shallower water and firefighters left the scene at 7.17pm. It comes after Merseyside was battered with torrential rain yesterday.

In some parts of Merseyside people's homes were flooded with some experiencing two foot of water on the ground floor. The Met Office issued a yellow weather warning for rain lasting from 12.30am to 8pm on Merseyside yesterday, September 30, with widespread disruption hitting the region following the continuous downpours throughout the day.

Bootle and Seaforth saw the worst of the floods. Houses on Bulwer Street in Bootle were evacuated by emergency services while the floods were dealt with. Witnesses described the scene outside their house as being like a "swimming pool".

Forty-two local residents were evacuated after their homes were completely flooded during the torrential downpours. Others chose to stay put in their homes, take refuge at a local community centre, or make alternative accommodation arrangements, Mersey Fire and Rescue said.

Several road closures were in place as emergency services tried to ease the chaos. Crosby Road South was closed and police were called in to restrict access to the road as the water levels rose. Heavy congestion could be seen building on one side of the road.

Elsewhere, the M58 was closed following a car crash. Witnesses reported seeing an air ambulance at the scene. Queen's Drive was also closed due to flooding from Dovedale Road to North Mossley Hill Road.

Several roads in Cheshire were also closed due to heavy flooding. Halebank Road was blocked in both directions, and Chester Road also faced closure due to flooding between Daresbury Expressway and Hobb Lane. Lower Road in Halewood was closed, as vehicles were stranded.

Tuesday and Wednesday are expected to remain mostly dry, according to the Met Office. The website said: "Mostly dry at first with bright spells. Cloud thickening from the east during the morning bringing some light rain at times, especially to hills inland, where it remains rather windy. Maximum temperature 15 °C."