Notts ford surging in popularity after becoming viral sensation for cars ploughing through deep water

Alexandra Mary Hirschi, known online as Supercar Blondie, is an Australian social media celebrity based in Dubai, and she shared the video of the Lamborghini crossing the ford with her 44 million followers, bringing worldwide attention to the local spectacle on Rufford Lane.

A Facebook group set up just three weeks ago already has more than 12,000 members and the ford is now growing in popularity with regular crowds hoping to see vehicles attempting to take on the flooded stretch of road.

Ben Gregory and his two friends Tom Sunderland and Nick Owen decided to set up the group as a base for people to upload their videos, but admit they have been surprised by the popularity.

Ben, aged 18, who goes by the name of Ben Gregers on YouTube said: “The popularity of the place is just unbelievable, especially with the worldwide posts now being shared.

"It’s crazy, especially for something so simple, that has been around for centuries.”

Attraction

The area regularly gets flooded during heavy rainfall, and has long been a popular attraction for nearby residents and tourists visiting Rufford Abbey, with crowds often waiting to watch cars driving through the flood – despite the road having clear markers to show the depth of the water.

Now people are coming from miles around just to try it themselves, or to watch others attempt it, recording videos to upload online.

Members of the Facebook group are now posting regular updates on the depth of the water, with some travelling hundreds of miles just to visit the attraction.

Alongside videos of vehicles successfully crossing the flooded road, spectators also capture some expensive-looking fails, with vehicles either becoming stuck in the water after their engines flood – leading to breakdown services being called out to rescue them – or spluttering to a halt in a cloud of smoke just metres from the water.

To check the videos out yourself, head to YouTube, or you can find the Facebook group here: Rufford Ford and wet road fails.

Advice

The AA lists the ford as their number one flood accident hotspot and issued the following safety advice.

Most fords don't have gates or barriers that can be closed to stop you trying to cross when the river's impassable, so:

Don’t assume a ford that was safe to cross yesterday will be safe to cross today;

Go the long way round if you’re not sure how deep the water is;

Don't follow your sat nav blindly across water;

Check the depth gauge – avoid water more than 10cm (four inches) deep – and pay attention to warning signs/lights;

Remember that a foot of flowing water is enough to move the average family car – six inches can knock you off your feet;

Drive slowly and steadily – don’t make a bow wave;

It only takes an egg cupful of water sucked into your engine to wreck it;

Test your brakes as soon as you can afterwards.

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