A MAN spent 30 minutes in the icy waters of The Trent after the vehicle he was travelling in plunged head-first into the river and he was washed away.
Eyewitnesses said the man, who has not been identified, managed to free himself from the car but was swept more than 100 metres downstream and then he clung desperately to a pontoon, screaming for help.
The incident happened in Church Lane, Fiskerton, at about 6pm last night and was seen by patrons drinking in The Bromley at Fiskerton public house on the opposite side of the river.
They called the emergency services.
One witness, who did not want to be named, told the Post: "I was drinking at the pub when I saw the car go into the river.
"It was pitch black and all I saw was headlights on the other side.
"It was pretty scary and I was so shocked."
The car plunged nose-first into the river and bystanders said it was among a group of three vehicles travelling down Church Lane at high speed.
Initially, the car was not completely submerged but gradually sank into the river. It was still under the water last night and the scene was guarded by a police officer.
Alan Evans, bar manager at The Bromley, said: "Luckily there were people who saw what happened. You could see the lights were still on (under the water).
"It was all a confused mess. It happened so quickly. The car park was flooded with police cars and fire engines."
Firefighters rescued the victim, who was suffering from hypothermia, using a boat, which they borrowed from a nearby boatyard at about 6.30pm.
He was taken to hospital after speaking to police.
Nottinghamshire Fire Service chief fire officer John Buckley said: "The man was found a few hundred metres from the car.
"He was conscious but suffering from hypothermia, which meant that although he had little strength he was able to keep his head out of the water.
"He was shouting and we used high-powered lighting to find him.
"We carried on searching the river and the bank to make sure there was no one else and we're fairly confident that no one is missing.
"Water rescue incidents are always difficult, especially when it's very dark and cold.
"It was good fortune for the individual that he was spotted entering the water so we were able to get in the water quickly to make the rescue."
Members of the Fire Brigades Union held a 24-hour strike yesterday but the fire service had emergency resources available.
Mr Buckley added: "We didn't have full capacity across the service but we had the full provision required.
"We requested the police diving team to attend but he had been rescued by the time they arrived."
The Post contacted Nottinghamshire Police but the force declined to comment.
