Driver finds himself caught in flood waters
An Ellesmere man found himself stuck in rapidly rising floodwaters and torrential rain in north Wales led to flooding on the River Dee on the Shropshire border.
Homes in the Bangor-on-Dee area have suffered flooding and farmers had a race against time to move their sheep from low lying fields.
Wayne Meredith from Ellesmere was driving to work at 5.30am today (sunday) when his van got stuck on the Wrexham Road just outside the village.
"I drive that road everyday and when the river is high there are usually road closed and warning signs out and I divert. But this morning there were no signs. It was pitch black."
As he realised water had covered the road a lorry passed him.
"The tidal wave from the lorry shorted out something on my van and I was stuck," he said.
"The water was getting higher and higher very quickly."
Friends, Les and Jude Mousdale went to Wayne's rescue with their 4x4 vehicle and he said by the time he was tying the tow rope to his van the water was knee high and running very fast.
"There were cars continuing to try to get down the road, not wanting to be late for work. I tried to stop them but they carried on and of course got stuck. It was a mess, tractors were coming out to pull them out," he said.
"If the warning signs had been out I wouldn't have attempted the drive."
Further upstream in Llangollen the water on the Dee raced through Llangollen just inches from pouring over the flood defence wall.
Flood warnings are in force for the length of the River Dee today and also in the town of Bala.
Runners taking part in the Wrexham Running Festival, including many from Shropshire found themselves having to wade thigh deep through a flooded lane on the edge of the town.
