Glaisdale tragedy: Photos show 4x4 that was swept away in River Esk in Yorkshire two years before three men died at same location

Two years ago in January 2021, a 4x4 ended up submerged in the River Esk at Glaisdale close to the spot where the three men attempting to cross in a Land Rover became trapped this week.

The pick-up truck could not be recovered for two months due to high water levels, and was secured to a tree in the meantime.

The ford crossing at Rake Lane between Glaisdale and Lealholm is popular with off-roaders and green laners, and the men who died were thought to belong to a club and part of a convoy with other 4x4s. Their Land Rover was completely submerged and their bodies recovered three hours after they had got into difficulties.

Shortly after the 999 call was made, emergency services also had to rescue the occupants of another car, a family with children, that had been swept away three miles away while crossing the Esk at Houlsyke. A member of the public shared an image of their submerged vehicle, which came to rest beneath Duck Bridge in Danby yesterday.

Cleveland Mountain Rescue Team shared photographs of their volunteers in January 2021 securing the Ford Ranger pick-up after it had been washed off the Rake Lane ford, before winching it out of the Esk in March, once water levels had fallen, at the request of the North York Moors National Park Authority and Environment Agency.

In the same month, the mountain rescue organisation was also called out to a 4x4 that had been abandoned after being washed away at the Hob Hole ford over Baysdale Beck, also in the North York Moors. A group from Middlesbrough were identified as the occupants.

Glaisdale residents have spoken of the large numbers of off-roaders using the farm track to the ford, a public byway, and had feared that a tragedy would occur. There have been calls for warning signs and lights to be installed at the site.

The three men who died this week have not yet been named.

Chris Ford, who lives nearby, told the PA news agency the victims were part of an off-roading group when they crossed a ford on Rake Lane.

The river, swollen by heavy rain, swept them away and carried them around 400 yards downstream, he said.

Mr Ford, a firewood salesman, was called to the scene to help recover the vehicle with his tractor and found it fully submerged beneath the water, he said.

He and two others used tractors to pull the 4×4 on to the riverbank, he said.

Police said another man, who attempted to help those trapped in the car, was pulled from the river and needed medical treatment.

Mr Ford told PA: “There was a ford they were going over and they were swept down 400 yards.

“They were part of an off-road club.

“I went down with my tractor. There was a couple of vehicles – one parked up.

“You couldn’t see the (other) vehicle. It was 3ft beneath the water.

“I helped get it out on to the riverbank with three other tractors.”

Two other locals, Rosie and Andrew Dale, said they were with Mr Ford when he got the call to help.

They said they saw several 4×4 vehicles pass their home in the direction of the ford shortly before the incident.

Mrs Dale said “nobody local” would attempt to cross the ford in the current conditions.

The area is popular with 4×4 drivers, she said, adding: “In the summer you get 10 of them at a time.”

A spokesperson for North Yorkshire Police said: “Localised conditions across our area are making driving hazardous.

“Roads are particularly badly affected around the River Esk, to the north of the county, as we have seen with the tragic incident near Glaisdale.

“There was another incident at nearby Houlsyke at 12.49pm when a car got stuck in flood water and another at Kirby Wiske in Hambleton at 2.35pm.

“Thankfully, the occupants of both vehicles were brought to safety.

“The key advice is to consider whether your journey is necessary.

“Please avoid driving through any kind of standing or moving flood water if you possibly can.”

Witnesses to the incident at Glaisdale are urged to call North Yorkshire Police on 101, option 4, quoting reference NYP-28122023-0146.