Offbeat news:  Firefighters in China rescued a driver who became stranded after trying to clean his million-yuan sports utility vehicle (SUV) in a river to skip paying for a car wash.

The man had driven his Land Rover into what was a shallow river outside Chengdu on Wednesday when floodgates were opened upstream, releasing a wall of water.

Before he could even start washing his car, the water level suddenly rose rapidly until he had to abandon his expensive car and ran to the delta. Apparently, a nearby dam had just released water which caused a huge surge flowing downstream.

The water rose so fast that within minutes, the owner could barely see the top of his Land Rover anymore while he himself was trapped on the delta in the middle of the river. He had to call the local authorities for help.

The man fled for higher ground and called police after the vehicle became half submerged in the rapids.

Rescue crews arrived to find him stranded on an islet in the middle of the river.

Using ropes and a harness, firefighters walked the man to safety through the swift, knee-deep water in what was a 10-minute rescue, firefighters told media.

The crew also pulled the soaked SUV from the river.

The man later told rescuers he had the brilliant idea of washing the car in the river in order to save 20 yuan ($2.50) for a proper car wash.

As expected, this news began circulating on social media and netizens have mixed reactions towards it. Some criticised the car’s owner for being stingy while others felt genuinely sorry for him.

“He can afford such a luxurious car, but can’t afford a car wash,” a netizen said.

“He was just at the wrong place at the wrong time,” another Facebook user said.

Anyway, we’re glad the car owner is safe now. Also, we hope his vehicle insurance covers this type of loss, otherwise it may cost him a lot of money to fix the luxury car!-Internet