A PENSIONER suffered major leg injuries and had to be cut free from the wreckage of a car after a collision with a lorry in Clacton.

Firefighters worked for more than an hour to free Rosemary Hughes, 73, from Elm Road, Little Clacton, who had been a passenger in the Volvo her husband had been driving.

The accident happened on Little Clacton Road, Bockings Elm, Clacton, just before 11am yesterday when the beige Volvo collided with a Ford lorry near a set of temporary traffic lights.

Mrs Hughes suffered serious leg injuries and the road was sealed off for more than two hours while emergency crews made her comfortable and freed her from the wreck.

Concerns for the casualty grew when it emerged she had heart problems.

Brian Bennett, the station commander at Clacton fire station, said: "The rescue crews worked closely with the paramedics.

"Our main concern was to get her out of the car as quickly as possible once the ambulance crew gave us the all clear."

The driver of the lorry Peter Aves, 54, from Marham, Norfolk and Mrs Hughes' husband Douglas, 74, both escaped uninjured.

Mrs Hughes is currently in Colchester General Hospital where her condition is described as satisfactory.

Police are appealing for witnesses and anyone who saw the accident should contact Sgt Malcolm Johnson at Stanway Traffic Police on 01206 722512.

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