THE police response to the flood alert was “unprecedented” according to the county’s top cop.

Chief Constable Stephen Kavanagh joined hundreds of officers in the early hours of Friday morning working to evacuate Jaywick residents ahead of what was predicted to be the strongest tidal surge in 60 years.

Officers were advising residents to leave their homes right up until high tide, which came at about 1.35am, while about ten Essex County Fire and Rescue boat units were poised for action.

Mr Kavanagh said: “This has been an unprecedented operation for an incredibly serious situation involving hundreds of officers not just in Jaywick but around the county.

“Many people believed they were going to be OK but the scenes at the sea wall near to high tide made people think differently.”

Mr Kavanagh also said the high winds which were expected to come with the surge did not materialise. It meant the surge was not as strong as it could have been.

Officers were not only focusing on the rising water as extra patrols were laid on around the village in response to residents’ concerns that their homes would be hit by burglars if they evacuated.

Mr Kavanagh added: “Officers have been up and down every road in Jaywick at least twice during the course of the night in an effort to put residents’ minds at ease. “Our main concern has always been to support the public where we can.”