Tot,3, saved as storm lashes Britain... again

A THREE-year-old and a driver were rescued from a car sinking in flood water yesterday as Storm Henk battered Britain.

- NADA FARHOUD

A hero passerby dived in, smashed a window and tied the vehicle to a bridge to stop it being washed away before helping them to safety.

Police praised the act of bravery, publishing a photo of the car amid the deluge in Hall Green, Birmingham.

Storm Henk, which was dramatically named by meteorologists just one hour before it hit, ravaged the UK with gusts of up to 94mph recorded on the Isle of Wight and two inches of rain.

It is the eighth storm to be named by the Met Office since September 1, marking the fastest start to a stormnaming season ever.

Its meteorologists blamed global warming.

The Met Office said: "If the air has an unlimited water supply, such as an ocean, then warmer air draws up extra moisture. This results in clouds containing a greater number of larger rain droplets.

LONDON Paddington rail station yesterday Any o M

Model citizen

A DAD saved a woman from a flooded river despite initially mistaking her for a plastic mannequin.

Colin McGarva, 31, said of his New Year's Day plunge into the Severn in Worcester: "I just had to do it. There was no second thought."