A FAMILY taking a baby girl to hospital, had to be rescued from their car after it was trapped by floodwater.

Passers-by waded and swam through as much as six feet of water to help the stricken family after their 4x4 got stuck under the railway bridge in Southend Road, Wickford.

Firefighters treated the 11- month old girl for the early signs of hypothermia and gave first aid to three other children and an adult while the family waited for an ambulance to arrive.

The drama unfolded at about 5pm on Sunday after the family drove into flood water under the railway bridge and the car stopped.

Firefighters then waded back to the car to fetch some of the family’s belongings.

They were then taken to Southend Hospital and the car was recovered some hours later.

Ben Mimms, 19, witnessed some of the drama as he drove from his home in Rayleigh to collect his grandmother from her home in Wickford.

He said: “I was driving through Shotgate and saw this family trapped inside their Land Rover Discovery.

“I was going to stop and help, but I could see there were already quite a few people there helping to get them out.

“Then a number of emergency vehicles arrived.

“When I drove back later that evening, at about 8pm, the car was still there.”

Police cordoned off the road and motorists were diverted down Bridge Road, until the flooding subsided.