"It felt like we were in a boat": Luton hero saves mum, three children and pregnant woman trapped in flooded car

And the mum explained how the hero came to their rescue – while others “were standing there laughing and recording” their plight.

Melissa, 28, was driving home after a trip to Harpenden with her three children – aged five, eight and 11 – and her pregnant friend when the rain started lashing down in Leagrave.

She explained: “We got off the motorway, then the rain just started pouring down, and it was so bad that we couldn't see."

With high crosswinds and torrential downpours, Melissa’s 4x4 struggled to drive through the water and eventually cut out, leaving the family stuck.

She said: “When we tried driving through it, the water wasn't as high. As soon as the car stalled in the water, the water just started rising. The rain started getting heavier, to the point where it started seeping into the car.”

At the same time, Joshua Probyn had been driving through Leagrave High Street with this partner and stepsons when he saw Melissa’s BMW stranded in the floodwater.

He drove around the high water and around backstreets where he pulled up and decided to go back to check on the occupants of the car.

The 26-year-old said: “I couldn't really hear what she was saying but it was something about kids. There were two boys in my car and I'd like to think anyone would do the same for me.

"So I got out the car, I grabbed my umbrella. I changed my shoes, I rolled up my jeans, and then waded across the water.”

As Joshua made his way to the car, Melissa said: “We were trying to wave people down, but no one was doing anything. It was really upsetting as people were standing there laughing and recording, finding it very entertaining.

"The water was rising so much the car was moving, it felt like we were in a boat. We couldn't turn it on. We couldn't drive out.”

One by one, Joshua pulled the kids through the windows and across the road to safety. He did the same for Melissa’s pregnant friend and she held onto his arm as he walked them to the pavement.

The mum-of-three said: “If it wasn’t for Josh, God knows what would have happened. He had his whole family with him. He did not have help, but he decided to, because he's what we call an everyday hero.”

Joshua was shocked that in the five minutes it has taken him to get back to Melissa’s car, that nobody had helped her.

But he added: “Helping people just kind of comes naturally, it's not like I ran into a burning building. All I did was basically roll my jeans up and walk across some water and carry them out the car.”

Melissa has criticised the council for not unblocking the drains, which she says made the heavy rain’s effects much worse. She said: “Everything was flooded because the sewers and the gutters were not cleared, and the council don't do much for maintenance in regards to sewers and stopping things overflowing.”

A Luton Borough Council spokesperson said: “Leagrave High Street, where the event occurred, is on the priority one network and is cleaned every six months. Luton had more than a month’s worth of rainfall in one day, overwhelming the network, which is not designed to deal with this much rain in such a short period of time.

"The localised flooding that occurred in some areas was caused by this extreme weather event rather than a lack of maintenance.

“Drivers should avoid driving into areas of flooding and ponding and seek alternative routes where they cannot clearly see the road, to reduce the risk to their personal safety or damage to their vehicle.”

They added: “While we cannot completely mitigate the impact of severe weather like this, we will ensure our limited resources are focused on reducing the impact where possible.”