IN PICTURES: Students save stranded motorists caught in Storm Desmond as holiday turns into dramatic rescue
They decided to take a quick holiday to the Lakes – and ended up getting involved in the drama of floods caused by Storm Desmond.
Dave Round, aged 20, from Dudley, was was among a group of youngsters who helped rescue vehicles trapped in rising flood waters in atrocious weather conditions.
Members of the Harper Adams University off-road team were on an unofficial trip to the lakes, where they planned to spend the weekend driving along unsurfaced roads on which vehicles are permitted, but which are difficult or impossible for normal cars to use.
But due to the severe flooding in Cumbria they spent more than four hours rescuing fellow drivers and even stepping in to avoid a wedding being ruined.
One of the students Paige Mather, 19, said: "One of our members is on placement at Grange over Sands, so we were staying with her.
"On Saturday we were just getting into Windermere when we started to see lots of flooding.
"Then we stopped and came across a man in a Volkswagen stuck in the middle of the flood."
Jack Thorman, 21, from Halfway House, near Shrewsbury, added: "We got him out of this mini-lake, undid the air filter and saw that he had water in his air intake.
"He asked if we could tow him back to his hotel, so I took him to Bowness and the others continued to save a few more people. We drove on and got to another section of road with more vehicles stranded in the middle.
"One car contained a whole family including a small baby. James Brothwood towed them out and back to their hotel.
"While everyone else was towing vehicles away, the rest of us were telling people not to drive in the water; that their cars were not suitable and they could flood their engines.
"Some people were glad to have us there but others got upset and didn't think we knew what we were doing.
"It was great in Ambleside when cyclists were cheering us." The group all met up again at a third "road lake" where they found four cars and a tractor. Jack added: "The water was half-way up the tractor wheels so it was quite deep. I decided to take one truck through to see if it was ok. When we got to the other side I radioed back and everyone else came through."
One of the drivers rescued on Saturday was Zoe Dixon, who had a wedding deadline to meet. She said: "I had gone through the flood and my car broke down. The students were all so kind and they managed to get us to the hotel we were decorating for a wedding.
"Jack gave me his number in case I was stuck and couldn't get home but my dad managed to get through and rescue us. It was fun in the Land Rovers as I haven't been in one for years. They were great and I can't thank them enough."
The Harper Adams Off Road team meets regularly to share their love of 4x4 driving and maintenance.
Meanwhile, Firefighters from Shropshire have been helping to rescue Cumbrian residents stranded in their homes by Storm Desmond.
A Shropshire Fire and Rescue boat crew was dispatched from Shrewsbury in the early hours of Sunday and was out helping people from their homes within hours of their arrival.
The six-man crew was accompanied by a senior officer after a request for assistance to deal with the aftermath of a storm which has seen a possible record level of British rainfall – provisionally measured at 352mm in 24 hours.
Andy Johnson, Shropshire Fire and Rescue's area manager, said the specialist team had been out yesterday to Warwick Bridge, where they rescued a couple and their dog from their home.
The crew then helped other villagers to escape the flood waters.
Mr Johnson said the team's skills would provide vital help.
