A driver had to be rescued by firefighters after getting their car wedged in a fast-flowing waterway in North Yorkshire on Tuesday (January 2). 

Emergency services were called to the ford near Firs Avenue in Ripon at about 6.20pm, following concerns for a vehicle that tried to cross the ford that links Firs Avenue and Priest Lane in the city. 

After arriving on the scene, firefighters found the driver out of the car after help from a member of the public.

Darlington and Stockton Times: The car pictured wedged in the fordThe car pictured wedged in the ford (Image: SIMON RICHARDSON)

A cordon was put in place at the ford to warn other drivers about doing the same, and the driver was issued with advice by the police and firefighters. 

A spokesperson for North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service said: "A crew from Ripon responded to a report of a single vehicle that had become stuck in flood water after attempting to cross a ford.

Darlington and Stockton Times: The car stuck in the ford in RiponThe car stuck in the ford in Ripon (Image: DENI FAGAN)

"On the arrival of crews, the driver of the vehicle was out and had been assisted out of the water by a member of the public. The driver was checked over by police officers and given advice.

"Crews closed off the ford and footbridge with assistance from the police."

Following the incident, images of the wedged vehicle began to circulate online, which suggested that the vehicle was still in the ford on Wednesday (January 3). 

This incident comes a week after three men died after a vehicle got stuck in the River Esk at Glaisdale, near Whitby. 

On that occasion, fire crews, ambulances, partner agencies and police teams were in attendance - but couldn't save the lives of the three men who had become trapped. 

Scott Thomas Daddy, from Hull; Leslie Forbes, from the East Yorkshire area; and Kenneth Patrick Hibbins (known as Patrick), from York, all lost their lives in the incident on December 28.