Two people have been plucked to safety after the car they were travelling in plunged into the water off Orford Quay this afternoon.

The alarm was raised at around 2.50pm after the people carrier went off the end of the Quay into the river with two passengers still inside.

Reporting the incident to police the initial caller described the car as being “vertical, nose down, with water already up to the passenger door”.

Police were told the two elderly occupants were trapped inside.

Around five members of the public clung to the car in a bid to prevent it slipping or being swept away.

While onlookers waited for the emergency services to arrive, one member of the public got into a dinghy to try and help the female passenger, who is understood to have climbed safely aboard the boat.

A spokesman for Suffolk police said: “At this stage the driver was still in the car and a rope had been attached to the vehicle, with the water line continuing to rise.

“A few minutes later he also managed to get into the dinghy safely.”

He said the pair are not thought to have been injured but have been left shaken by the incident.

The car has been temporarily secured via a rope and efforts are underway to recover it from the water.

- Did you see what happened? Were you one of the Good Samaritans who rushed to help the couple? Call the newsdesk on 01473 324788.