A COUPLE have spoken of their miraculous escape after their Rolls-Royce plunged into the sea and began sinking.

Alan Williams, 59, and fiancee, 74-year-old Joane Lake, had been taking in the views over Poole Harbour on Tuesday when the car shot forward as they drove off.

The £21,000 Silver Shadow, being driven by Mr Williams, careered over the harbour wall, plummeted six feet down an embankment and started sinking in the sea.

As Mrs Lake's car started to sink, Mr Williams emerged from the open sunroof.

Two men dived in, one man assisted Mr Williams and the other swam 50 feet to the car and pulled Mrs Lake free. Members of the public on board the passing Sandbanks-to-Studland chain ferry then hurled a rubber ring over to them.

Mr Williams, from Ferndown, and widow Mrs Lake, from Grove Road in Bournemouth, were helped back to the shore where they were given first aid before being allowed to go home.

Yesterday, Mrs Lake described how she became totally submerged by water and at one point said goodbye to her fiance because she was convinced she was drowning.

She said: "When we decided to leave, Alan put the car into reverse, but for some reason it shot forward.

"We shot through the air then hit the water with a big bang. The water started pouring in through the sunroof.

"We had our seatbelts on and couldn't open the doors. It was very frightening because we were sinking quickly.

"Then Alan managed to get out of the sun roof and he knelt down and tried to pull me out. But my foot got caught under the seat and I couldn't get my seatbelt off.

"The water was coming up fast and I remember saying to Alan, 'Goodbye, I love you', because I thought I was drowning."

Mrs Lake has been engaged to council worker Mr Williams for several months. Her husband Brian died in January. Sam Coatsworth, who ran from the ferry into the sea to save Mrs Lake, said the rescue was a team effort.

The 33-year-old special constable, of Queen's Road in Swanage, said: "I heard a car revving and then a bang and crash as the car went into the sea.

"One person was already in the water helping the man out of the sunroof.

"Then I saw the woman, she was just sitting there in the car. I tried to help her out of the sunroof but her foot was caught.

"I managed to pull her out and took her ashore.

"It was quite lucky really because when we got out of the sea the car had submerged."

Mr Coatsworth, a technician at Poole Hospital, added: "It was a team effort between three people who didn't know each other.

"I want to praise the efforts of the young lad who helped. He was really calm and methodical."

Assistant harbour master Ian Bishop said: "It is fair to say these people have had a very lucky escape and were probably only seconds from death."