FIREFIGHTERS from four Kent stations took three hours to pull a car from a frozen river in Newenden on the Kent-Sussex border at the weekend. Crews from Hawkhurst, Tunbridge Wells, Strood and Larkfield raced to the River Rother near the White Hart public house in Rye Road, on Saturday morning.

They were called in by police after the car was spotted in the Rother - and at the time it was uncertain whether anyone was inside.

But after Larkfield Fire Station's boat had been used to crack through the ice and winch the car to safety it was discovered to be empty.

Firefighters suspect the car was abandoned and was pushed into the river. Larkfield Station Officer Liam Hudson said: "We have an inland boat and water safety unit at the station so we were called in by the police to help.

"Part of the problem was the river had frozen over so the bat was used to break through the ice and then a rope was tied through the back windows of the car so it could be dragged out on a winch."

He added: "No one had seen the car go in so we had no idea of how long it had been there or if anyone was inside. But it looks like it was just an abandoned car."