Emergency services stage dramatic water rescue drill on River Lea

The operation, code-named Exercise Titan, involved a staged water rescue from a partially submerged car in the River Lea on the Hertfordshire-Essex border.

Hertfordshire Constabulary, the East of England Ambulance NHS Trust (EEAST), Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue Service, and the Environment Agency all took part.

Emergency workers carrying a "casualty" (Image: Hertfordshire Constabulary)

The scenario revolved around a vehicle which had driven off-road near the river and flipped into it, landing on its roof.

Charlie Hall, Hertfordshire Constabulary Chief Constable, said: "The exercise demonstrated that when we are called upon for such an emergency response, that we are well equipped with both training and knowledge to deal with the incident."

Partially submerged car in the River Lea (Image: Hertfordshire Constabulary)

Graham Grover, firefighter and multi-agency training and exercise coordinator at Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue, stressed the need for such practice.

Mr Grover added: "Exercises such as this one ensure that first responders in the area can work together for the best outcome.

"In this case we were lucky to be able to challenge our crews to respond to an emergency which becomes more common in the summer months, a water-based rescue."

Police officers from the Operational Support Unit in the water (Image: Hertfordshire Constabulary)

As part of the Civil Contingencies Act (2004), emergency services in England are mandated to participate in regular simulations to mirror real-life incidents as closely as possible.

For Exercise Titan, the controlled scenes were established on a designated Environment Agency land.

Police Operational Support Unit officers being briefed by a Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue colleague (Image: Hertfordshire Constabulary)

This included careful measures to guarantee the safety of the waterways for the rescue workers and ensuring no environmental impact on the water or surrounding landscape.

Measures were also taken to prevent contamination of the water or surrounding countryside during this exercise.

Police Operational Support Unit officers conducting CPR on a casualty (Image: Hertfordshire Constabulary)

The car used in the simulation was certified 'clean', ensuring no possible harm to the water.

Andy Hopcraft, deputy chief fire officer, said: "As we approach the summer months we see an unfortunate increase in the number of water-based incidents we are called to, and although we’d prefer not to see these incidents – I’m impressed by the commitment our teams show in training and preparing for these events."