Tamworth flooding: two rescued in cars from floodwaters as Peel River inundates roads, sporting fields across Tamworth

SES volunteers as well as ambulance rescue personnel were deployed to several jobs from the early hours of Friday and well into the day as floodwaters raged across Tamworth and surrounds.

A man in his 50s was rescued after his vehicle was overcome with water at a causeway on the Moonbi Gap Road.

Ambulance rescue and SES were called to the emergency after a triple zero call for a man trapped in floodwaters about 4.40am.

"We've had two flood rescues over the last 24-hour period after significant rain of 50 to 75mm fell," SES spokesperson David Rankine told the Leader.

"Both the flood rescues were motorists driving into floodwater willingly, trying to cross causeways."

He was not injured and did not need further treatment, paramedics confirmed.

Another was rescued after becoming trapped by a raging torrent at Halls Creek about 1.45am.

Rescue personnel scrambled to get to the driver, before they too were pulled to drier ground.

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"It certainly got our volunteers out of bed on [Friday] morning," Mr Rankine said.

"Our volunteers were able to successfully rescue those people."

Both vehicles were "extensively damaged", the Leader was told, and the SES warned motorists "were irresponsible" to attempt to drive through floodwaters.

He said the flood rescues put lives at risk of the drivers, but so too volunteers, who are taken from sandbag jobs or other emergency callouts.

"They also take vital resources away from the community for storm damage and asset protection," he said.

"Turn around and don't drown.

"Don't drive through floodwaters, you wouldn't drive through a bushfire, so don't drive through floodwaters."

Mr Rankine said volunteers were also tasked to a horse rescue at Calala, which ended safely.

In another tasking, cattle had to be moved from higher ground near the Goonoo Goonoo Creek on Friday morning.

Moderate flooding inundated several parts of Tamworth on Friday, and saw much of Gipps Street and the Riverside sporting fields under water.

Calala Lane, Jewry Street and Scott Road went under water, along with a long list of other roads, leaving residents stranded in long traffic queues to cross the swollen river at Bridge Street.

The floodwaters claimed two cars in the city, one on Ebsworth Street under the Viaduct after the rising levels carried the car, while another parked in the Gipps Street car park was surrounded by water.

Mr Rankine said the moderate flooding shouldn't cause too many problems if people avoided the floodwaters in Tamworth, but the forecast ahead was troubling volunteers.

He said the predictions would "put some real pressure" on volunteers who are were stretched trying to respond to Friday's callouts and flooding jobs.

"The rain has put some real pressure on the river systems right across the New England," he said.

"After this flooding, we don't want community members to rest on their laurels.

"We can expect some more flooding next week with a strong front expected to move through on Tuesday."

He said the SES would begin preparing for extensive flooding across the Tamworth region next week, should the current models play out.

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