Emergency services attend Strood after vehicles caught in high tide

Essex fire crews were called to The Strood on Monday as water levels rose to five metres, which saw four vehicles become stranded.

As a result, scores of cars found themselves stuck either side of The Strood, while trained firefighters worked to help a man sitting on the roof of his van.

One member of the public, who did not wish to be named, told the Gazette they saw the coastguard join the fire brigade on the scene.

They said: “I was in the queue on the Mersea side – we’d just left the country park walking the dog.

Stuck – two members of the coastguard can be seen making their way to a car stuck in the water (Image: Public)

“There were two fire engines in front of me – one was in the water and there was also a man on top of a van.

“I don’t check the tide times because I thought we would be fine, but then I came to this queue of traffic.

“The queue was so far back, you couldn't even see how many cars there were – in my rear view mirror you could see 20 cars and no further because of the bend.”

Response – the emergency services attended the scene shortly before 1pm (Image: Public)

Following the incident, the Essex County Fire and Rescue Service confirmed a man was eventually rescued by firefighters at 1.25pm.

It also said four vehicles had to be abandoned and are awaiting recovery.

Watch manager, Gary Clarke, has now issued a warning to motorists looking to travel across The Strood.

He said: “With school holidays and the warmer weather approaching, we’re urging people to plan your journeys before you travel.

“Check the tide times and not to take any risks, wait for the tide to go back out.

“If you can’t see any signs about how deep the water is, don’t risk driving through it. For flooded roads, turn around and find another route.”

The incident follows a similar rescue last September, when five people had to be saved from their vehicles after they too became stuck in rising tides.