A MOTORIST had to be rescued from his car when it was stranded in a raging river yesterday afternoon.

The man was trapped in his Audi for half an hour after he tried to cross the River Wear at Stanhope Ford, in Weardale, County Durham, at 2pm.

A paramedic from the Great North Air Ambulance pulled the driver, believed to be a local man in his 40s, to safety through the car window.

The driver called 999 using his mobile phone when the car was dragged off the causeway by the strong current, which was swollen by Saturday's heavy rain.

Firefighters from Crook and Stanhope attended the scene.

Station manager Stuart Errington said: "Fortunately, the air ambulance was able to help and the man was not injured.

"But we would urge drivers to take notice of the warning signs and water level gauges that are there and drive 200 yards down the road to use the road bridge instead of using the ford."

When the air ambulance arrived, pilot Peter Barnes was able to hover above the roof of the car so his colleague, paramedic Kevin Hodgson, could step on to it.

The helicopter then pulled away while the driver, who was waist-high in water, was lifted out of the car on to the roof. The helicopter then returned to lift the pair to the bank.

The driver was treated for shock at the scene, but escaped uninjured.