Firefighters had to rescue two people trapped in a ditch for almost two hours last night.

A woman had fallen into the 6ft ditch after walking home from an evening out near Hythe and the man with her was also stuck after he climbed in to rescue her.

Emergency services struggled to find the pair in the pitch dark in the remote country lane.

Dave Kissock, watch manager at Folkestone Fire Station, said: “Time was taken to find them because we literally had to walk the length of the road to locate them.”

The accident happened at Botolph’s Bridge about 11pm.

The woman had fallen into a ditch about 18in deep in water.

When the man went in to rescue her and was himself trapped he dialled 999 on his mobile phone.

Police and ambulance crews searched for the pair and fire crews finally found them half a mile from the Botolph’s Bridge pub.

The woman was feared to have a broken leg and was hoisted out on a spinal board. The man was able to get out using a ladder provided by firefighters.

The woman was taken to William Harvey Hospital suffering from hypothermia but she was found not to have a broken leg and was released two to three hours later.

Two fire engines were called to the scene, from the Dymchurch, Hythe station plus a water unit from Folkestone.