Woman rescued from car stuck in Cockwood Harbour

A woman has been freed from her vehicle, which got stuck in the mud during a rising tides after it went through a dwarf wall and ended up in Cockwood Harbour.

The vehicle hit a wall, flipped over, and landed on its wheels in Cockwood Harbour near Starcross, Exeter, Devon, at about 21:50 BST on Sunday. Fortunately for her and the two other passengers with her in the car, the harbour had no water in it at the time of the accident, but with rising tides time was of the essence for the Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue service.

The roof was cut off to allow the driver to be put on a spinal board as water rose around the vehicle, reaching about 1ft (30cm) as she was removed. Tony Jones of Devon and Somerset Fire Service said "We were concerned that the lady might have spinal injuries, so it was a delicate operation. If the water had risen any quicker we would have had to go to plan B and just grab the lady out of the car. We were ok though and managed to free her in time."

She was taken to hospital with leg and spinal injuries, the fire service said.

Members of the service's Urban Search and Rescue Team and ambulance crews were also involved in the operation.