'Damp' car was in pond

A husband went to the aid of his wife when she called to say their new car wouldn't start because the engine was damp - and found it underwater.

Garth Hughes, 36, even brought along a can of wet start to get their week-old £24,000 Toyota going.

Last night Debbie, 34, of Salisbury, Wiltshire, told how she ended up in the middle of a pond after swerving to miss ducks.

She said: "Saying the engine was damp and I couldn't get started was true. OK, it was very damp, but worrying Garth would have been silly. I'm glad I managed to miss the ducks though."

Garth, who got the car towed to a local garage to dry out, said: "It didn't surprise me Debbie swerved to miss the ducks, although I did feel a fool with the wet start."