A man and his dog were killed today after his car was swept away by floods caused by torrential rains.
He became submerged while trying to cross a ford and his car was swept 200 yards downstream this morning at Compton Wood in Hampshire, near Newbury.
The man, who has not been named, was pronounced dead at the scene and a woman passenger who managed to escape from the car was being treated for shock in hospital.
A Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service spokeswoman said: “The car was completely submerged under five feet of fast-flowing water.
“The woman from the car had already managed to swim free of the vehicle and reach the bank. Newbury firefighters 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.”
Paramedics failed to revive the man.
The death was one of several incidents in the past few days, as high winds and driving rain battered Britain. Yesterday, three children were pulled to safety after they were swept away while playing in a flooded river in Lewisham.
London Fire Brigade said the force of the currents in the Ravensbourne, swollen by heavy rain, had sent downstream the two girls and a boy, aged nine, 10 and 11.
They were spotted by police and the two girls managed to get out of the river safely, but the boy was eventually rescued from under a bridge by a brigade boat team.
Firefighters said the incident could have been fatal had the youngsters not been spotted, as the river leads through to the Thames Water Greenwich pumping station and into the Thames near the Cutty Sark.
More light rain is forecast in London this evening, turning heavy again tomorrow morning.
