Trapped van blocked Sidmouth ford for hour

THIS is the moment a removal van needed rescuing from Sidmouth’s ford after getting stuck at the spot – blocking the route for an hour.

The vehicle wedged when its rear safety bar caught on the slope of the ford at lunchtime last Wednesday.

A huge recovery vehicle, named ‘The Undertaker’ pulled the stricken vehicle free.

Eve Mathews caught the moment on camera.

“A traffic enforcement officer said that new legislation requiring a low back bar on large vehicles means they will all get stuck in the ford - so lorries need to be banned from this route,” said an onlooker who did not want to be named.