Guests at a town centre hotel are currently being ferried to and from their rooms by rescue crews after overnight flooding left them stranded from dry land.

Residents at the Premier Inn have had to hitch a ride from a pick-up truck after Water Lane became submerged under two feet of water, leaving them completely marooned.

The hotel, which currently has no dry way in or out of the car park or front entrance, has hired the truck to ensure guests are not completely cut off.

The emergency truck was called last night, after heavy downpours caused flash flooding and washed cars away.

Rescue crews then returned to the scene at 8am this morning to help guests to dry land.

By 3pm this afternoon, the pick-up driver had already loaded 36 cars onto the back of his truck and ferried them from the hotel's car park through the small lake to dry tarmac.

Indeed, staff at the hotel have already reserved rooms at nearby Premier Inns for guests tonight.

Robert Mackenzie, who works at Watford-based Connoisseur Recovery, has also rescued two stranded cars and even helped a young woman get through the water on her way to A&E last night.

Robert said: “I took a Vauxhall Omega out last night, which was quite difficult because the water was up past the door.

“Then today a guest tried to get out in a van and got stuck as well.

“Basically there is no access in or out of the hotel so they phoned us and asked us to run a shuttle services through the water.”

Ambulance crews were called to Water Lane shortly after 10pm last night after a young woman, on her way to accident and emergency with severe burns, became marooned at the Premier Inn.

While on her way to hospital, the car the burn victim was travelling in became stuck in the deep water.

Robert added: “The fire brigade asked me if I could rescue the car and the woman so I brought them out and the waiting paramedics treated her in the back of my cab.”

Cars have also been abandoned by drivers, who got stuck by treacherous floods last night.

One car, a red Volkswagen Polo, was abandoned on a grass verge with a hand-written sign left on the dashboard, which read: “Unfortunately due to the flooding leaving my car here. Will pick up in the morning.”

At least two other cars remain uncollected.

The road has been closed between the ring road and Bushey Hall Road all day.