So when this particular Harry drove his Vauxhall Corsa off a jetty into the River Blyth it was hardly a magic moment – he nearly drowned himself and his teenage son.

Driver, Mr Potter, who is in his late 30s and from Longtown, Cumbria told lifeboat workers he had left his car in gear and when he turned the key in the ignition the car lurched forward over the jetty and into the water.

His son, believed to be between 15-18 years old, was in the passenger seat, and managed to jump clear of the vehicle before it went over the edge of the jetty.

But Mr Potter was still in the vehicle when it hit the water and had to struggle to open a door before scrambling out into the river.

Police said that a passer-by helped him out of the water.

Lifeboat Operations Manager, John Scott, 62, from Blyth said, “He was very lucky where the car had landed. If he had gone off at the wooden part of the jetty the pressure would have been too much to open the door and he wouldn’t have been able to get out.”

Witnesses to the accident quickly alerted the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) in Blyth with members of the public dashing along Commissioners Quay to the RNLI lifeboat station.

The accident happened at shortly after 8pm on Tuesday and the RNLI Blyth lifeboat Jennie B was called to the scene.

Full Story with photo of the car.