A BABY was rescued by a lifeboat crew after the car it was travelling in got stranded crossing the Strood.

The seven-month-old infant was one of three children and two adults taken to safety after three cars tried to cross the Causeway to Mersea Island at high water.

West Mersea's RNLI lifeboat were called to the scene at 1.38pm yesterday to help with the rescue.

One of the cars and also two cyclists had ignored a warning by the West Mersea Coastguard team, who were first on scene at 1.07pm, and attempted to cross before the water had subsided despite safety advice.