A COMMUTER is “lucky to be alive” after his car was swept away in floods and ended up in a river.

His vehicle floated out of control downstream before becoming wedged under a bridge.

He then clambered out of a window, onto the roof and up to the bridge before wandering over to a nearby house.

A Good Samaritan farmer put him up for the night, let him have a shower and gave him a meal and change of clothes.

Farmer William Vigus, of Beercrocombe, said: “He’s a lucky boy to be alive – it’s a good job he had a good car, an Audi, that kept the water out, otherwise he wouldn’t be here.”

The driver, from Chard, was making his way home via Hatch Beauchamp last Thursday evening and took a detour through Frog Street in an attempt to avoid floodwater on the road.

“He came down our lane past one or two other floods, saw the water was flowing, decided it was a bit deep and tried to back up,” said Mr Vigus.

“Next thing his car was floating. It floated past our house into the river and came to a stop and was jammed by the bridge.

“He climbed out on top of the car, got onto the bridge and came up to the house and said, ‘I think I’m a bit lost’.

“His top half was completely dry, but he was drenched from the waist down.

“He came in and showered, I let him have some dry clothes and a meal and he stayed the night.”

His stepfather and mother arrived the following morning and winched the car out of the water.

“The power and speed of the water was unbelievable,” said Mr Vigus.

“I’ve never seen anything like it in the 17 years we’ve been here.

“He couldn’t be blamed because there were no flood signs and no flood alert had been given.”