Top Gear star Richard Hammond abandoned his Porsche 911 in floods to run 16 miles home for his daughter's fourth birthday.

Hammond had been driving from London to his home in Herefordshire on Friday when he became stuck in traffic caused by flooding in the area.

After a mammoth 12-hour journey, the presenter abandoned his Porsche 911 Carrera in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, at 3am on Saturday morning and ran home.

Hammond told the Mirror: "There was no way I was going to miss it - I'm away from home enough as it is.

"Luckily I had my running gear and a waterproof jacket with me in the car, so I decided to run the rest of the way. It was pitch black but I just put my iPod on and went."

The star, nicknamed Hamster, arrived home in Bromesberrow at 5.30am, in time to spend the day with wife Mindy and daughters Izzy and birthday girl Willow.

Hammond, who was injured in a high speed crash in September last year, said: "I had a hot shower and a bacon buttie and not long after that Willow got up and we had a lovely time for her birthday."

The Mirror also reported that Hammond leapt into action again on Sunday. He borrowed a fishing boat to rescue his neighbours from their flooded house in a nearby village.

Top Gear returns on Wednesday with a one-off special challenge which sees Hammond, and pals Jeremy Clarkson and James May race to the North Pole.

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