A pregnant woman had to be rescued by medics after she was trapped in her home by a mudslide caused by flash flooding.

The woman raised the alarm at 6pm on Monday after storms lashed her home in Wethersfield Road, Sible Hedingham.

An ambulance service spokesman said the woman was heavily pregnant but stressed she was unhurt and had not gone into labour.

Emergency vehicles struggled to make their way through major hold-ups caused by the flooding - while just a few miles away in Colchester only light rain fell.

Paramedics with a fire brigade escort had to completely avoid Sible Hedingham and approach the house from Wethersfield.

Terrible storm conditions meant it was too dangerous to airlift the woman to safety.

A spokesman said: "We sent the helicopter but the weather was so awful they had to return to base."

The woman was taken to her mother's in Rectory Road.

Rescue services were also called into action in Castle Hedingham when a pensioner got into difficulties trying to wade through three feet of floodwater in St James Street.

The spokesman said the 65-year-old was suffering from exhaustion and breathing difficulties.

"He wasn't critical but one of our officers went through three feet of water in a Land Rover to get to him. He was treated at the scene and didn't need to be taken to hospital."

It was not an ideal day to be driving a convertible!

Torrential rain caused chaos around the Braintree district as roads and homes were flooded.

Severe storms caused freak flash floods making some roads impassable to the north of Braintree - causing major tailbacks as drivers tried to leave work.

An E-type Jaguar only just made it through the flooded A604 just outside Halstead.

Flash floods caused havoc after the heavy rain

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