Fire crews had to rescue a woman who got trapped after driving her Mini into flood water.
Firefighters in dry suits used a rescue boat to bring the woman safely back to dry land in Shalford Green, Braintree.
The incident happened at about 9am today.
A fire service spokesman said: "It is important that when faced with water drivers exercise a little common sense.
"If they can they should find an alternative route. If there is no way round they should park safely and let the water subside until it has reached a safe level.
"Just driving into water and hoping for the best is not an option, by the time you find out the water is too deep you are already trapped.”
Just a foot or two of water is enough to float a car and six inches of water will reach the bottom of most passenger cars.
This depth can cause loss of control or possible stalling as water is sucked into the exhaust or washes into the air intake.
The fire service advises that motorists should never attempt to drive through water deeper than the centre of their wheels.
If water gets into the car’s air intake or into the electrics the car will stop leaving driver and passengers trapped.
The water could also be hiding damaged road or missing manhole covers.
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