A MAN was saved by his mobile phone when he was trapped upside down in his car after skidding on black ice. The silver Renault Laguna was wedged in a water-filled ditch at the side of Nethergong Hill, Upstreet, near Canterbury.

The 64-year-old driver, who wishes to remain anonymous, said: "I have driven down that road hundreds of times before, but I hit some ice and came off and ended upside down in a dyke. It was quite terrifying. Water started coming in and I didn't know how deep it was going to get.

"I broke my glasses and at first couldn't find my mobile phone but I kept hunting because I knew I couldn't be seen from the road." When he found the phone the man tried ringing 999 but was unable to get through, so rang his wife.

He said: "I said 'Don't panic, but I'm stuck upside down in a ditch'. Of course she did panic, but I managed to get through to the police. I would like to say a big thank-you to the emergency services. They arrived quickly and helped me out of the car.

"I was very lucky I had my phone with me and that I had my seat belt on."

Sub officer John Saynor from Canterbury fire station said the driver had a lucky escape. The road is quiet and the car was out of view from passers by.

He said: "We believe that had he not had the mobile with him it could have been fatal with the freezing temperatures overnight. He could not get out of the car through the doors and windows and could have been stuck there all night. He was dressed in casual clothes so the extremely cold conditions may well have caused hypothermia had he been unable to raise the alarm himself."

The driver, who lives in Canterbury, was taken home by paramedics after the incident.