Wild weather: Driver rescued from flood waters in Melbourne’s west

A man has been winched to safety from rising floodwaters in Melbourne’s west, in one of 300 calls for help. See the incredible photos.

Rising floodwaters prompted a daring rescue in Melbourne’s west as a driver was winched to safety after their vehicle became trapped in flood waters.

A SES Victoria spokesman said emergency services were alerted to the incident on Cobbledicks Ford Rd in Mount Cottrell about 4.50pm on Monday, prompting a large rescue effort.

The driver, a 30-year-old Hoppers Crossing man, had been attempting to cross the Werribee River — which had risen to about 1.7m — when his vehicle became stuck.

Multiple units attended before the man was winched to safety by a Victoria Police helicopter.

“Our message doesn’t change — if it’s flooded, forget it,” the spokesman said.

“Never attempt to cross through floodwaters, it can very easily end in disaster.”

A driver is winched to safety after his vehicle became stuck in floodwaters near Mount Cottrell. Picture: Victoria SES

Multiple people arrived to help the man. Picture: Victoria SES.

The driver was taken to hospital suffering from mild hyperthermia.

The rescue came after the State Emergency Service issued a flood warning on Monday morning, alerting residents around the Loddon and King Rivers urging them to immediately move to higher ground.

Across the state, SES personnel responded to 292 requests for assistance amid the wild weather.

The spokesman said 125 related to fallen trees, 61 to building damage, 31 due to the impacts of flooding and 28 rescues.

The busiest areas were Melton, with 31 calls for help, while 18 calls were made in Maroondah and 12 in Lilydale.