AN ELDERLY woman is today “incredibly lucky” to be alive after she was found submerged in water in a ditch in Mottisfont.

The woman, who is in her 70s, had been lying in the cold water and mud for several hours before being discovered by a passing dog walker.

He immediately raised the alarm and alerted fire crews to the incident near Oakley Lane.

It is believed the woman got stuck after her car became partly submerged in mud and her efforts to free it left her exhausted before she too became stuck.

Heavy rain left the track soaking wet and covered in deep puddles, resulting in treacherous driving conditions.

Matthew Jeans, who lives on the lane with his family, said more than eight emergency vehicles flew past his house on the way to rescue the woman.

He said: “I believe she drove right up the road and tried to back out, then got stuck in the ditch.

“It goes to a gravel track then goes to a grass verge. Satnavs often bring people down here.

“They drive down and think they can get back, then get stuck in the verge.”

It took police, fire and ambulance crews some time to find the woman because of the remoteness of the location, and specialist off-road vehicles were needed to reach her.

Fire crews helped medical teams release the woman and she was taken to Southampton General Hospital suffering from hypothermia.

Crew manager Pete McClemont, from Romsey fire station, said the incident demonstrated the importance of making proper preparations for any trip into countryside areas.

He said: “The woman was incredibly lucky she was found and she was able to receive medical treatment before her condition deteriorated.

“Locating and treating a casualty in situations like these also demands a large emergency service response.

“It was only thanks to the persistence of our crews, the hazardous area response team (HART) from the South Central Ambulance Service and the police, along with some help from National Trust wardens, that we were able to resolve this incident.”

Mr McClemont added: “If you are going out in the country, always make sure you let someone know where you are going and an idea of how long you intend to be out.

“If your vehicle does become stuck in mud or water, call for help. Trying to move it could result in making the situation worse.”