LORRY driver Sam Boxley was dramatically rescued after his seven-tonne lorry got stuck in the floods.

The Hereford driver thought the Holt-Staverton road had a only few inches of water lying over it when he turned down it on Wednesday afternoon (December 6).

But his lorry broke down, leaving him stranded, and unable to walk clear.

A fire crew from Cooper Avon with an inflatable boat joined a team of firefighters from Trowbridge to rescue the embarrassed driver, who was trapped for 20 minutes.

He said: "I am a stranger to the area and as the flood water looked only inches deep, I thought I could easily get through it with the lorry. It was a a scary experience. I was stuck in a deep section with the current quite strong. I was very thankful to the fire brigade for coming to my rescue."

Acting sub-officer Neil Hiscock said "We are putting in a request for the council to make the road gated, as we have several calls from stranded motorists in the floods. Often the Road Closed signs blow over or motorists ignore the warnings and attempt to drive through, only to get stuck. If the road was gated, it could be locked and no-one would be able to drive along to attempt to travel through this dangerous section when the river has burst its banks."

Story and pictures by Trevor Porter