A FAMILY who alerted emergency services to an elderly couple who were trapped in an overturned car have revealed their good fortune in spotting the vehicle.

Ronan and Teresa Vance were on their way to the Cheltenham Jazz Festival with their son Douggie, 16, on Sunday morning when they saw the Honda Jazz off the A46 at Cranham.

The car had left the road on a bend and careered down a 20ft embankment near Prinknash Abbey at 8pm on Saturday – but it was only found after the Vances alerted police at 10am on Sunday.

They had no idea that a couple aged 78 and 87 had been trapped inside the vehicle in near freezing conditions for around 14 hours.

By complete chance, the family, from Heazle Place, Stroud, were travelling in their Fiat Hymer motorhome, which they usually only use for holidays and longer trips.

“It was only because we were in the motorhome that we were able to see it,” explained Ronan, 52, who was driving.

“As we went round the bend I had an elevated view as the motorhome has a left hand drive.

“I could only see the bottom of the car as it was overturned, but I just got a quick glance.

“It was lucky we were in the motorhome. If we had been in the car we wouldn’t have seen it.”

After Ronan spotted the car, Teresa called the police.

The family were travelling to the jazz festival as Douggie was performing with St Peter’s School.

They were planning to use their VW Beetle but Douggie’s saxophone wouldn’t fit.

“We were really surprised to hear there were people inside the car,” said Mr Vance, an engineer at EDF Energy in Gloucester.

“It’s quite remarkable that they were there for the whole night.”

Police called the family to thank them for reporting the incident.

Crews from all three emergency services attended the scene.

The couple, from Churchdown, were taken to Gloucestershire Royal Hospital.

While the man was discharged on Monday, the woman remains in hospital in a serious but stable condition.

Police said the couple did not have a mobile phone.

A spokesman for Gloucestershire police said: “It was extremely lucky that the elderly couple were not seriously injured at the time of the incident and that their car was spotted by a driver of a high sided vehicle who called the police.

“The constabulary would like to thank the family who called the force control room.”

Investigations are continuing into how the driver lost control.

Anyone with information about the incident should call 101 quoting incident number 113 of May 1.