A 19-year-old was taken to hospital after falling ill at Colchester zoo.

Visitors watched as Essex Air Ambulance landed in the elephant enclosure at 11.19am this morning.

A spokeswoman for East of England Ambulance Service said the teenager had reported breathing difficulties and airborne paramedics were called as a precaution.

The woman, who is said to have fallen unconscious, was taken to Colchester General Hospital by road.

A spokeswoman for the ambulance service said: “Landing at the zoo was one of the more unusual places that the aircrew have needed to go.

“The pilots follow strict landing protocol for any site, and this incident involved working closely with zoo staff to ensure the animals and visitors would not have been adversely affected.”