‘Near-perfect landing’: hot air balloon guided down on to Bedford street
Bystanders jumped in to help balloon land on residential road on Saturday, narrowly missing houses and cars
‘Near-perfect landing’: hot air balloon guided down on to Bedford street
Bystanders jumped in to help balloon land on residential road on Saturday, narrowly missing houses and cars Sun 24 Aug 2025 17.34 CEST
A hot air balloon made a dramatic landing in the middle of a street in Bedford on Saturday in front of shocked residents.
Sam Coldham said he saw the balloon descending in Bower Street in the east of England town at about 9.30am, while he was out walking the dog with his partner, Sian King.
Footage taken by King shows the balloon trying to land in a residential street between parked cars, telegraph poles and wires.
In the video, several bystanders can be seen rushing to help. They grab on to the guide rope to help lower the balloon to a safe spot, helping it to avoid crashing into houses or parked cars.
Georgia Balać, whose partner assisted with the landing using an emergency line thrown down by the pilot, told the Bedford Independent: “It was extraordinary. It came down quickly and uncontrollably, very nearly missing the terraced houses and pylons.
“It made a near-perfect landing between parked cars on either side.”
The British Balloon and Airship Club confirmed to the BBC it “landed without incident” and everyone was OK.
