NFU member Dean Wesley, who farms at Falkingham, rescued his elderly parents, Haydn and Pauline who are both in their eighties, from their flooded home before his son Ryan joined firefighters to get others to safety.
The Bourne NFU members sprang into action as water started to pour into the bungalow and they used a JCB to safely get their family to safety through a window.
As weather conditions worsened, Ryan headed to meet firefighters to secure other stranded residents including a pregnant woman and even a pet dog.
The county’s resilience forum declared a major incident in Lincolnshire in response to the bad weather over the past few days caused by winter storms.
Community effort
The rescue came as farmers across the county and further afield rallied to support the community, clearing snow and debris and aiding in recovery efforts with motorists and people stranded because of heavy rainfall.
Dean said: “We used the JCB to extract my parents and Ryan’s grandparents to safety and they were able to get away from the floodwater through the front window.
“The fire service then called to say there were further people in need of help from their cars and homes so Ryan got in the JCB and headed off.
“As farmers and growers we are very much part of our community and will always get stuck in and help when we can.”
South Lincolnshire (Holland) NFU chair Simon Gadd
“He was able to work with the fire service to rescue a further five people, a pregnant lady and a pet dog.”
They were also able to dig a ditch to take flood water away from a road to help ease some of the flooding.
Photograph: Father and son team, Dean and Ryan Wesley
Further action needed to protect residents
Dean, who is chair of Pointon and Sempringham Parish Council, said people had been badly hit in the latest round of poor weather across the county and further afield, and his thoughts were with all of those affected by the downpours.
He said 80 acres of his food producing land had been left underwater following the latest storms and, although it was receding, further action was needed to tackle the issue to protects homes, rural businesses and communities.
He said he would continue to push the Environment Agency to look at ways to protect families, homes and farmland working with the NFU and in his role as a parish councillor.
Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue Service confirmed it has received hundreds of flooding calls this week, many from people with flooding inside their homes or with cars stuck on the road.
Rural businesses, farmland and agricultural buildings were hit, with many still recovering from months of extreme weather in 2024.
‘We do not want to see a repeat of the past 18 months’
The River Witham burst its banks near Grantham and emergency services also rescued children stranded at a school in Edenham.
Farmer Simon Gadd, South Lincolnshire (Holland) NFU chair, who farms cereal crops at Boston praised the efforts of the Wesley family and said farmers would continue to help out when they could.
He said: “As farmers and growers we are very much part of our community and will always get stuck in and help when we can.
“Be that helping to clear main roads of snow and fallen trees using our farm vehicles, sometimes in the middle of the night, or safely doing our bit to help the rescue services in an emergency.
“Hats off to Dean and Ryan for their efforts over the past few days, which were tremendous, and this is mirrored by farmers up and down the county in times of need.
“Conditions that may seem relatively safe can often contain hidden dangers, so care needs to be taken at all times.
“We will continue to keep a very close eye on the weather as we all count the cost of the latest downpours and get back to the day job of producing food.
“I am keen to get around the table with fellow farmers, the NFU and Environment Agency to see what further action can be taken to safeguard our homes and businesses from flooding as we do not want to see a repeat of the past 18 months.”
