The passenger in a van which landed on its roof after hitting flood water on the A361 at Bishops Cannings last week has thanked the emergency services for getting him and his friend out of the vehicle.

Tim Line, from Trowbridge, and Jason Hatch, from Potterne, were on their way to support their Fathers 4 Justice friend Tim Harries when he appeared for sentence at Southwark Crown Court last week charged with defacing a potrait of the Queen.

But just as they approached the end of the dual carriageway opposite the turning to Bishops Cannings, they hit the standing water.

Mr Line, 50, said: “We didn’t see the water until we hit it and the van just launched itself off the road and rolled onto its roof. It was terrifying.

"We were in complete darkness and, because the van had embedded itself in the mud, we couldn’t get the doors open.

“I was still hanging upside down when I called 999 and the ambulance service was there in just a few minutes. Jason at first couldn’t find the ignition. He needed to turn that on to operate the electric windows to let us out.

"But the worst part about it was that four cars drove past us without stopping.”

Mr Line escaped with a bruise on his leg while Mr Hatch suffered whiplash.

Eventually, the pair managed to get to London.