Mum’s horror as baby is trapped inside sinking car before hero dad pulls tot to safety in Storm Bert floodwater

A MUM watched in horror as her 11-month-old baby became trapped inside a car sinking in floodwater.

Storm Bert nearly claimed another life at is wreaked havoc across the UK yesterday with 82mph winds, heavy snow and flooding.

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Hero dad, Andre Randles, had to rescue his baby son when his Volkswagen hatchback was completely submerged in Todmorden, West Yorkshire.

The tot’s terrified mum, Paige Newsome, wrote on social media: “[It was] such a scary experience for Andre having to pull himself and our 11-month-old baby out of the car windows, whilst the water was flooding into the car.”

She also criticised the council as the road has reportedly been a danger area for years whenever there is heavy rain.

“Calderdale Council need to sort this out ASAP! They have been getting notified about this part of Woodhouse Road multiple times by the owners of the house next to where our car is parked,” she fumed.

The traumatised couple found themselves in difficulty when Andre drove into the water thinking it was shallow.

They suddenly discovered a concealed dip in the road that pulled their car under, sparking a race against time to scramble out.

Shocking photographs revealed floodwater reaching the vehicle’s roof as it sank.

After pulling his baby out of a window, the builder and his girlfriend were taken in by a local resident who helped keep them save from Storm Bert.

But the nightmare still haunts Paige, and she added: “You never know what could have happened. 

“Just imagine if my partner didn’t think fast enough to get the windows open to climb out and then get my son out. I dread to think.”

A flood warning, and siren, had been issued in Todmorden, on Saturday.

Floodgates were also opened to help manage river levels. 

Calderdale Council said yesterday: “Please drive carefully as there is still surface water and debris on many roads.

“Only make essential journeys. Stay safe.”

Labour MP for Calder Valley Josh Fenton-Glynn said the flooding was sparked by snow melting and heavy rain.

He said: “We are at the frontline of climate shocks here in Calder Valley.

“Rest assured I will continue to raise the issues we face with flooding at the highest levels of government.”

Calderdale Council was contacted for comment.

It comes after Storm Bert tragically claimed its first life yesterday after a tree fell on a car.

A man in his 60s died in Hampshire just before 8.00am after the horror.

He was driving a black Mercedes E350 on the A34 southbound carriageway, between Kings Worthy and Winnall.

Paramedics tragically pronounced him dead at the scene, and his family have been informed.

Elsewhere, in Wales, five children and five adults had to be rescued from a landslide yesterday as 82mph gusts and flash floods battered the UK.

All ten people were rescued from the house in Llanarmon Dyffryn Ceiriog, near Llangollen in North Wales.

A North Wales Fire and Rescue Services spokesman said they are all being assessed by ambulance services away from the scene “somewhere warm”.

A further landslide has been reported in the area but it is understood no one else was affected.

Have you been affected by Storm Bert? Email [email protected]

It comes as Brits were warned to stock up on food and water as “multi-hazard event” Storm Bert saw trains axed, ferries cancelled and roads closed.

Families in Belfast were “trapped inside” their homes yesterday as firefighters pumped out flood water, as reported by the BBC.

“The mother of one man I spoke to this morning said her son had woken up and went down to see around two to three feet of water in his home this morning,” a reporter at the scene said.

“The fridge was floating around the kitchen.”

In West Yorkshire, a 34-year-old man from Bradford was killed after a car collided with a wall in Shipley.

However, officers are continuing to investigate the cause and it is understood the road was not icy at the time of the incident.

The Met Office issued seven yellow and two amber weather warnings yesterday as the UK braced for 70mph winds, heavy snow, rain and flooding.

British Gas also warned it was advisable to stock up on food and water as Storm Bert comes into full force.

On Saturday, “blizzards” hit the UK, forcing train companies to scrap services, several major road closures, airport disruption and ferry cancellations.

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