It is believed Wagga State Emergency Service (SES) and Volunteer Rescue Association (VRA) volunteers were called to Gardiner Street about 6am to free the woman from the car.

Wagga police duty officer Darren Brand said police were investigating with the intention of taking action.

“We cannot have people continually ignoring blatant warnings and putting themselves and emergency services at great risk,” he said. 

“While emergency services have to tend to these incidents, a property could be broken into and we'd be under-resourced to respond.”

SES incident controller Graeme Craig was furious when he heard about the incident.

“I’m absolutely livid that people are so selfish not to recognise the risks or ignore the warnings,” Mr Craig said.

“You’re breaking the road rules and the law by going around these warning signs, if you’re seen doing that by police you can be fined.

“It gets worse if you get yourself stuck and call for rescue, a number of flood rescues stem from the stupidity of motorists who then have the hide to ring to get out of it, of course we’ll respond, but it’s purely and fully avoidable.” 

Mr Craig said he thought there should be harsher penalties for people who ignore warnings and put lives at risk.

“This is an incredibly selfish act to take a risk not just with your own life but then the others who come to rescue you,” he said.

“The penalty should be stiff and have demerit points attached to it. 

“If people refuse to modify their behaviour, these risk takers who know they could lose their licence might not do it.”

Floodwater was “toxic”, Mr Craig said, but some people still didn’t seem to understand the risk.

“They won’t drive into a bushfire, so why do they drive into floodwater?” Mr Craig asked.