FIREFIGHTERS were in a race against time to save a woman from rising seawater when her car became stranded at a coastal saltmarsh in the early hours of Monday.

Crews from Lymington fire station were called to Saltgrass Lane in Keyhaven to shortly after 12.42am to find the driver trapped in the vehicle close to Hurst Castle.

Lifeboat crews, police and paramedics were also among the emergency services arriving at the waterside.

But firefighters brought her to the shore safely within 30 minutes and ambulance crews discovered she was unharmed.

It is believed the woman had parked her car by the shore and waters rose around it.

A spokesman for South Central Ambulance Service (SCAS) said: “A patient had parked their car and then water had got in. We had an ambulance at the scene but patient was not injured.”