Ryan Wesley, 31, used an excavator’s bucket to rescue his grandparents from their flooded bungalow in Billingborough, Lincolnshire, following severe flooding caused by heavy snowfall. With assistance from his father, Dean, they managed to help an elderly couple and a pregnant woman escape as water levels rose. Wesley’s grandfather expressed gratitude for their rescue, noting that the water reached about a foot deep. Meanwhile, in Lincolnshire, children were rescued from a flooded school, and pub owner Simi Kazazi saved a trapped woman in chest-deep water. Both incidents highlight the community’s response to the flooding disaster.
A grandson uses an excavator’s bucket to rescue his elderly grandparents from a flooded house.
Ryan Wesley, 31, helped a couple in their 80s escape from the window of their bungalow in Billingborough, Lincolnshire, on Monday.
Both Lincolnshire and Leicestershire on Monday announced a major disaster after heavy snowfall over the weekend led to severe flooding.
The 31-year-old, with the help of his father Dean, 56, rescued a pregnant woman and an elderly couple before the water became too deep to operate the excavator, the BBC reported.
Wesley drove an excavator through heavily flooded roads to rescue his family, and by the time he arrived at the property, water had started pouring through the door.
Wesley’s father said it was “obvious” he had to kick the couple out of the house.
They climbed out the window and into the bucket, at which point the water had risen to about 3 inches, reaching a depth of 1 foot at flood height.
Grandfather Haydn said he was “really happy” that his grandson and son came to the rescue.
With the help of their father, Dean (age 56, right) and Ryan Wesley (left) also rescued a pregnant woman and an elderly couple.
Wesley, 31, was able to help a couple in their 80s escape through the window of their bungalow in Billingborough, Lincolnshire, on Monday. Haydn on the left
Wesley’s father (pictured) said it was “of course” he had to kick the couple out of the house.
She added: “I wasn’t scared at the time because Ryan and Dean came and everything went like clockwork.”
After the couple drove to safety, their brave grandson tried to rescue more people from their home, but had to stop when the water got too deep.
“On my last trip, I couldn’t see the front wheels of the excavator and it was covered in water, which was a bit scary,” he added.
It comes as children had to be rescued from school on Monday as the UK faced flooding with major disasters declared in two counties.
Primary school students in Edenham, Lincolnshire, were left stranded just before they were due to go home when floodwaters engulfed a main road.
Emergency services rushed to the scene and rescued the trapped students. They were reported to be “safe and well” and were taken to safety just before 4 p.m.
There are stories of heroes who came to the aid of others in dire circumstances.
They include pub owner Simi Kazazi, who walked through rising floodwaters to rescue a 63-year-old woman who was trapped in her car.
Grandfather Haydn (pictured) said he was “really happy” that his grandson and son came to the rescue.
Vehicle moving through floodwaters (January 6, 2025, Mountsorrel, Leicestershire)
Dramatic footage shows him wading through water to pull a 63-year-old man from his car.
The brave pub owner took her into his arms and carried her back to land.
Cars drove through Derbyshire this morning as Mum Tor was covered in snow on Monday.
Leicestershire: A caravan was surrounded by floodwaters in Barrow upon Soar on Wednesday.
Leicestershire: Car abandoned on flooded road in Mountsorrel on Wednesday
While surveying flood damage on Leicester’s Italian Greyhound, a woman was found stranded in her car with bitterly cold water splashing onto her chest.
Dramatic footage shows him wading through water to pull a 63-year-old woman from her car and bring her back to dry land.
The woman later thanked Kazazi for “saving my life.”
“If I was there for more than 10 or 15 minutes, I don’t know what happened. I was cold and shivering,” she told local radio station Harborough FM.
“The water was chest-deep, probably about three or four feet.”
The woman, who declined to be named, said Mr Kazazi took her to his Italian-British pub and gave her coffee and food, adding that she was “very grateful” for his intervention.
As onlookers hailed him as a hero, Kazazi insisted he “didn’t think twice” before entering the water to rescue the woman.
The country, which has been hit by a cold wave last week, warned of continued low temperatures today and tomorrow, adding: “Snow and ice warnings may be issued as confidence increases in areas most likely to be affected. “is high,” he warned.
The Met Office added that further snow was possible on Saturday, but rain was more likely than snow as calmer air moved in across much of the UK by Sunday.
