Llanfair double drama stretches services

Emergency services were stretched this afternoon following two incidents that happened within an hour of each other close to Llanfair Caereinion.

A holidaymaker became stranded on a small island in the River Banwy, and while the local fire service worked with an RAF Sea King helicopter to rescue him, a car accident one mile up the road tested the local resources.

The drama unfolded at 2.52pm when the fire service dispatched a rescue boat from Llanidloes to join the Llanfair fire crew trying to rescue the 23 year-old tourist who had saved a small dog from the river.

As he was being winched to safety by an RAF Sea King helicopter, an emergency call was made at 3.56pm after a car had rolled one mile up the A458 to Dinas Mawddwy. More firefighters from Welshpool were dispatched to the scene to make the car safe.

Thankfully both the stranded tourist and the driver of the car escaped with only minor injuries.

“It has been a busy afternoon but the fire crews have dealt with these emergencies in their usual professional manner,” said a spokesperson from the Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service.