This is the moment a Mercedes driver believes they are about to drive onto a rain-soaked car park which turns out to be a pond.

The incident happened when the motorist made a mistake in the city of Jieyang, in Guangdong, China, on April 16.

CCTV camera footage shows a motorbike travelling along the side of the pond before disappearing off camera and then, seconds later, a motorist comes off the main road and heads towards what they think is a wet car park, which actually was the pond.

With an enormous splash, the car plunges into the water and then drifts into the centre of the pond with its headlights still shining as it slowly sinks.

Eyewitnesses said that the driver managed to scramble out of the window and swim to safety before the Mercedes Benz sank.

One resident told local media that this was not the first time a driver had mistaken the pond for a car park, saying: 'Similar situations have happened before.'