A man has been arrested on suspicion of murder after a serious crash in Colchester which left one man dead and three people in hospital, one with life changing injuries.
The incident happened at The Spinnaker public house at 12.50am today when emergency services were called to reports that a car was in collision with the pub.
Following the collision Hythe Quay was closed for around seven hours and was reopened at around 9am this morning.
Police said a 36 year-old man died at the scene.
A 34 year-old man has been taken to hospital with life changing injures and two others, a 34 year-old woman and a 33 year-old man, were also taken to hospital with minor injuries.
An Essex police spokesman said a local man aged 40 had been arrested on suspicion of murder, Grievous Bodily Harm (GBH) with intent, death by dangerous driving and assault.
He added: "We would like to speak to any who saw a white Nissan Qashqai in the local area before the incident took place and anyone who was in the pub at the time and has yet to speak to officers."
Anyone with any information about the incident or who has dash cam or mobile phone footage is asked to call Essex Police on 101 quoting incident 63 of November 3 or to call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
Three fire crews attended the incident - two from Colchester and one from Wivenhoe.
On arrival, crews reported that one vehicle had left the roadway and collided with the public house.
Firefighters worked alongside the ambulance service to ensure there were no further casualties trapped within the premises, before confirming the building was structurally safe following the impact of the collision.
People living in the area reported hearing a loud crash at the time of the incident and several people rushed to the scene to see if they could help the occupants of the Nissan Qashqai. Reports said that those helping managed to get a woman passenger out of the vehicle.
Yesterday the scene was taped off by police as they continued their investigations.
The Spinnaker is one of the oldest buildings in the area, standing opposite the long wall separating the Hythe Quay road from the River Colne.
It dates back to the 1840s and is thought to have been a public house for more than 100 years. It has also been known as The Anchor and was renamed The Spinnaker in 1989.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here