Rescuers grab woman from car trapped in three feet of water as floods rise around Britain and new weather warning maps show exactly where downpours will strike this weekend

• The woman was driving her £6,000 Ford Fiesta through Buttsbury Wash, Essex
• The 2017 car sank in three feet of water after trying to cross the River Wid 

A woman has been dramatically rescued after attempting to ford a river in her Ford Fiesta which got flooded. 

The woman was attempting to cross the River Wid near Ingatestone in Essex this morning when the rear of her car started to float. 

A witness who spoke to MailOnline said the woman drove into the river using the Buttsbury Wash ford, but ignored a sign showing the water was around 3ft deep. 

Moments after entering the water the woman’s car stopped as the front of the car flooded, stopping the engine and killing the electrics. 

Then the rear of the car floated before it eventually filled with water. 

Essex Fire and Rescue were on the scene within 15 minutes. 

Cars and vans have regularly been destroyed on the river crossing. 

On December 5, a white BMW 3-series touring was caught out while crossing through two-feet of water. 

Fortunately, the woman in this morning’s incident was rescued by specialist firefighters who entered the freezing water and brought her to safety using a bespoke floating sledge. 

One witness said: ‘She may have misjudged the depth of the water. It was about 3ft deep. 

The fire service did a good job. She must have been cold by the time she was rescued. She didn’t look very happy. Her car has probably been written off.

The woman drove into Buttsbury Wash near Ingatestone, Essex around 8.30am today

The woman’s car was swamped by almost three feet of water – less than 18 inches of water is enough to raise a car’s rear wheels from the road

It is likely that the woman’s £6,000 2017 81,000-mile Ford Fiesta will have been written off after being driven into the flood water

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‘This happens regularly around here. People who are not from the area misjudge the water level and think they can safely pass through. One of the signs is missing showing the depth, but there was one showing the water was 3ft at the time. That’s far too much for a car like a Fiesta.’  

Commenting at the time of the earlier incident involving the white BMW, Brentwood watch manager Andy Haswell told the BBC: ‘It is often deeper than you think and it really doesn’t take much water for your car to be severely damaged or for your car to float out of control.’

However, weather forecasters have predicted a few calm days, staying mostly dry until Saturday and Sunday when wet conditions will hit Scotland. 

On tonight’s weather conditions a spokesperson for Meteogroup said: ‘Patchy cloud coverage through the course of the night with a few showers across north-western coastal areas. Elsewhere conditions will be staying mostly dry and there may be the odd clear spell at times. There will be gentle to moderate south-westerly winds.’

Essex Fire and Rescue had to use specialist equipment to rescue the woman this morning, including the yellow floating sledge with an open back allowing victims to be moved on board without having to lift them over the side

As for tomorrow, the spokesperson predicted: ‘Conditions will be staying mostly dry tomorrow, with heavy cloud building throughout the day. This cloud will be lighter during the morning, clearing at times to allow for some early spells of sunshine. Showers emerging over Scotland in the evening. Gentle to moderate south-westerly winds alongside.’ 

Ahead to Saturday and Sunday, the forecasters believe conditions may change: ‘Saturday will see wet conditions for Scotland and coastal showers over northern England and Wales. Mostly overcast with a clearer evening in the South. There will be patchy cloud on Sunday alongside a wet morning for most areas, clearing through the afternoon. Winds will be gentle to moderate.’ 

The environment agency has published a list of areas which are subjected to flood warnings

The Met Office has released this map showing the area of Scotland facing heavy rain on Saturday and Sunday

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