A “foolhardy” driver had to be rescued from floodwater after ignoring not just one but two warnings.

A country lane on the Hampshire-Dorset border looks more like a river than a road after the wettest January on record.

But the elderly driver who was on his way to a funeral ignored the road closure and even turned a blind eye to a semi-submerged car that had already come to grief.

His low-slung Mini ground a halt seconds later after water flooded the engine, leaving him trapped inside the vehicle.

The driver was lifted out of the car by firefighters and handed over to his son, who arrived in a Range Rover to collect him.

It happened at Derritt Lane, Bransgore, which has been flooded for about two weeks.

Daily Echo reader Simon Rowley, who took this picture, said: “He got through the worst part, which is about 18 inches deep, but the car’s engine died a few moments later.

“When I went over to him he said: ‘I should have known better’.”

Jacque Lay, vice-chairman of Bransgore Parish Council, said: “The ‘road closed’ sign is there for a reason. Most people look at the depth of the water and turn back, especially as there’s already an abandoned car down there.”