A couple has been rescued from a submerged car after almost two hours underwater in what onlookers named a ‘Christmas miracle’.

Emergency services saved the unidentified pair from the vehicle at around 10:44am near Norwich on December 24.

They were taken to hospital for ‘further assessment and treatment’ by East of England Ambulance Service, as Storm Bella threatens to bring further flooding to the UK.

Eyewitnesses Matt, 42, and Alex Emmerson, 44, said they assumed the car was empty when they first spotted it on Christmas Eve.

They only realised people were inside when a firefighter waded in and smashed the car window, ‘despite the water coming up to his chin’.

Mr Emmerson told the BBC: ‘Whoever this poor couple were, they were in there for a long time – close to two hours. The water must have been freezing.’

Mrs Emmerson added: ‘I just assumed that there would be nobody in there. Because normally people leap out and wade to safety before it gets to that point.’

Norfolk Fire and Rescue Service has been contacted more than 300 times about flooding since Wednesday afternoon, as some areas are battered with a month of rainfall in just one day.

It comes as many families in Bedfordshire are urged to leave their homes immediately on Christmas Day as the UK braces for Storm Bella.

Police have ‘strongly’ advised residents living near the River Great Ouse in north Bedfordshire to seek alternative accommodation amid fears of flooding tonight. 

Officers said the request ‘overrides’ tier four coronavirus restrictions in place, with people ‘permitted to go to other people’s homes’.

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