ALL the emergency services were involved in a dramatic rescue operation tonight to free an injured woman from her car as tidal water was rising around her.

James Hore

ALL the emergency services were involved in a dramatic rescue operation tonight to free an injured woman from her car as tidal water was rising around her.

The woman swerved to avoid falling debris from the vehicle in front of her as she was heading towards Mersea Island.

Her Ford Escort Estate came off the road - known as the Strood, which leads to and from Mersea Island, and went into the mud.

The woman, who was on her own, was left with a broken arm and was unable to get out of the car following the accident just after 6pm.

Firefighters were joined by police, ambulance, coastguard and the West Mersea RNLI lifeboat in a desperate attempt to free the driver.

Fire crews from Colchester and West Mersea used a special rescue path to make their way safely across the mud to free the woman with the assistance of other emergency service workers and the Coastguard's rescue helicopter.

The driver was released from the vehicle by 6.40pm and was rushed to Colchester General Hospital by the helicopter.

Her injuries are not serious.

Jeremy Dumas, operations manager at West Mersea Lifeboat, said: "I think she had no alternative but to swerve to avoid the debris.

"I would not say she was trapped in the car - the tide was rising - it was just a little bit more than half tide and was up to the top of the mud.

"She had plenty of time - at least an hour, but she was very shaken up by what had happened."

The car was described as "being a real mess" and traffic in the area was backed up for nearly two hours following the large-scale rescue operation.