AN ELDERLY man who was rescued after accidentally plunging his car into water during a drive in the New Forest has surrendered his licence.

On the evening of Wednesday, February 2, a 70-year-old Southampton man decided to go for a drive around the New Forest.

After driving for several hours, he tried to complete a turn in the road. However, he then accidentally reversed down a boat launch where he plunged into nearby water.

He was rescued by residents who pulled him from the water and subsequently taken to hospital for a check-up.

The driver was later diagnosed with vascular dementia, which presents as episodes of confusion. After this he surrendered his driving licence.

Sergeant Nick Tucker of Hampshire Constabulary said: “We all grow older, and our eyesight and some of our abilities diminish over the course of time.

“With the support of this driver and his family we wanted to highlight this incident to show the real life implications of growing older and driving. He surrendered his driving licence with dignity.

“It is lucky that he did not lose his life that evening.”

Sgt Tucker also highlighted the Force’s work with the Older Drivers Forum which helps keep mature motorists on the road safely for longer.

Visit olderdriversforum.com for more information.