A man was taken to hospital after a police foot chase through Halstead ended in the River Colne.

Four police cars and the police helicopter joined in the search for the man, who ran away after being stopped on the High Street on suspicion of drink driving.

Eyewitness Mic k Lamb , owner of the Quinteasential Tea Rooms, said he saw one man talking to a police officer after a red Mercedes coupe was pulled over outside Whispers wine bar at about 5pm on Tuesday.

He said: “The bloke pulled in at 45 degrees. As soon as he pulled in, the copper jumped out. They were talking nice and sensibly and he walked round to the back of his car.

“Then, all of a sudden, the young fella got on his toes and all hell broke loose.

“The copper gave chase and a couple of police cars went flying up.”

Mr Lamb said the man ran towards Hedingham Road, where customers outside Prezzo pointed police in the right direction.

He said: “The fella looked 100 times fitter than the poor old copper – he was a good 50 yards ahead.”

Mark Thompson, manager of Wardale Williams opticians, said he was surprised by the chaotic scenes.

He said: “The police car flew up the High Street and went left. As I was getting in my car, it came back down this way.

“They were looking for somebody, that was obvious.”

The man is thought to have run down Bellevue Terrace towards Chappel Street, where he vaulted garden fences until he came to the river.

An eyewitness, who did not want to be named, said the man jumped into the river and swam to the other side.

Vicky Spencer, of Chappel Street, said she thought the man could have got into the gardens through her back gate.

She said: “I knew there had been a bit of a kerfuffle because I had heard sirens and the helicopter.

“I found my back gate open this morning, which I thought was a bit odd.”

A man, 28, of Toppesfield, was arrested on suspicion of drink-driving on the Broton Industrial Estate and taken to hospital with cuts on his arm. He was later bailed until next week.

Essex Police said a second man, believed to beapassenger in the Mercedes, also left the scene, but officers were unable to trace him and could not issue a description.