Social media helps find Shrewsbury tractor driver stranded for 10 hours in floods
A picture posted on social media helped police rescue a Shrewsbury tractor driver who became stranded for 10 hours in the floods - it has been revealed.
With his mobile phone battery flat and worried about the electrics and his radio, tractor driver David Jones, aged 64, from Acton Burnell, near Shrewsbury, had no choice to sit it out in the middle of a sea of floodwater and wait to be rescued.
Mr Jones had been driving to a quarry near Llandrinio to collect stone at around 7.30am on Tuesday when he became trapped in a secluded lane with a huge expanse of Powys flood water lapping around him.
The alarm was only raised with Dyfed-Powys Police at 3.40pm when colleagues became concerned he hadn’t returned to the yard.
“I was going through the water and it started getting deeper and deeper, so I had to stop or the water could have damaged the engine,” said Mr Jones.
“I just had to wait for someone to come looking for me.”
“I had my lunch with me so I was okay for food."
The emergency services sprung into action with the police, the National Police Air Service (NPAS) and Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service, working together to find him marooned in his tractor.
They say a social media post of flooding appeared to show a tractor in the distance, surrounded by flood water after the River Severn had burst its banks in the aftermath of Storms Eunice and Franklin.
Officers then used what3words – a website and app that pinpoints locations – to guide the NPAS helicopter to Mr Jones.
Inspector Darren Brown said: “The tractor and trailer were located from photos and from a what3words location.
“There had been no contact throughout the day, so we didn’t know if he was safe.
“We called in NPAS to get as close to tractor as possible to look inside. They saw a reflective jacket and movement, so confirmed somebody was inside.”
The fire service were then called in to take Mr Jones to safety.
Station manager Andrew Richards, of Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service, said: “Our crews worked tirelessly over the weekend and into the early part of this week in responding to the regional flooding brought about by Storm Eunice and Storm Franklin.
“Our crews were already at another flooding incident and had rescued four people from their properties in the Llandrinio area when they called to assist the police to rescue a man in a tractor.
“Thanks to the support of the police helicopter that located the tractor within the floodwater, our Swift Water Rescue Team we were then able to deploy and access the vehicle and rescue the gentleman using a boat.”
Mr Jones spoke of his relief at being found.
He said: “Everyone did an excellent job to find me, it was a big relief to see the helicopter.”
