OXLEY police are investigating a Tamworth truck driver who drove straight into floodwater in Wee Waa and had to be rescued.
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The man had to call for help on Vera's Leap Road at Wee Waa on Thursday night after the State Emergency Service (SES) said "he drove straight into 1.9m of floodwater".
The driver had come from Tamworth and was on a return trip with an empty semi-trailer when the truck slid off the road.
"A truck went off the side of the road and the driver got trapped," Chief Inspector Peter Floyd told the Leader.
"There was 1.9m of water, and he drove into it thinking he would go through it."
The local SES deployed volunteers with a boat to help the driver who managed to get out as the water rose into the cabin.
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"The SES retrieved the driver by going in by boat, but the truck is still there," Chief Inspector Floyd said.
"The driver was picked up ... apparently very embarrassed."
Oxley police were alerted to the rescue and are investigating if the driver continued past road closed signs.
"Police are investigating," an Oxley police spokesperson confirmed to the Leader.
"We are continuing enquiries and and we haven't ruled out legal process.
"This is a timely reminder, don't drive through floodwaters, as they say if it is flooded, forget it."
Most roads in and out of Wee Waa are closed as major flooding surrounds the town.
The Namoi River peaked at the Glencoe gauge at 7.11m on Thursday morning and was still steady at 7.07m on Friday afternoon.
The Namoi is likely to remain above the major flood level of 6.70m in Wee Waa for the duration of the weekend, the Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) said.
Chief Inspector Floyd said the SES was still using its Unimog - high clearance vehicle - to make return trips through the lagoon for supply drop offs, and to ensure workers could get in and out.
On Friday afternoon, the BoM said "with catchments saturated and most dams at capacity, waterways are very sensitive to rainfall, and flooding is expected to continue for several months".
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Breanna Chillingworth
Northern Daily Leader Senior Crime and Court Reporter
Northern Daily Leader Senior Crime and Court Reporter
