Firefighters have branded pranksters "insane" after a makeshift paint bomb was hurled at the windscreen of an engine dashing to an emergency call.

The vehicle was on Mersea Road, Colchester, just past the Odd One Out pub, at about 9.10pm yesterday (Monday) with its siren blaring when it was splattered by the bright orange paint.

Luckily, the paint bomb - believed to have been flung from a window - did not block the view of the driver, firefighter Frank Shearman.

But the fire engine was forced to slow down as it headed to put out a grass fire on Middlewick Ranges.

Once the fire engine returned to its Colchester base it was out of action for two hours as the sticky gloss was cleaned off.

Police are investigating the incident which could so easily have ended in disaster on a narrow stretch of Mersea Road.

Sub officer Mike Sparrow, who was in the passenger seat of the engine and was in charge of the Green Watch crew, said: "It could have been serious if it hit the driver's side.

"There would definitely have been an accident, I reckon. Why would anyone throw paint? It's just insane.

"I jumped because it made a loud noise and the window had turned orange. The whole crew were unsettled."

He added: "We obviously had to stop to assess the situation. Frank decided he could see and we carried on to the incident at a normal rate. We did not want to go at any emergency speed."

Mr Sparrow said he thought the paint had been poured into a paper bag or a balloon before being hurled at the passing vehicle.

Colchester firefighters in front of their paint-spattered vehicle

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