Sixteen rescued from high water on causeway

Sixteen people were rescued from five vehicles that became stuck in rising water as they crossed a causeway.

Essex Fire and Rescue said four cars and a bus were caught in the high tide on The Strood in West Mersea yesterday afternoon.

Crews managed to free people trapped inside their vehicles and direct them through knee-high water to a rescue bus. Firefighters said all 16 people were driven to safety once the water level had lowered.

Philip Stevens, of Brightlingsea Fire Station, said: “Driving into floodwater and hoping for the best is not a sensible option and is highly risky.”