A passer-by saved two Colchester men from a car - minutes before it burst into flames.

They were driving along the B1508 just outside the village of Bures at 11.45pm on Tuesday when the Ford Orion left the road and crashed into a tree.

The passer-by saw the accident and rushed to get the men, one from Colchester and one from Wivenhoe, out of the damaged car.

Just afterwards it turned into a fireball and was gutted by flames.

The road was blocked and emergency services were called to the scene. Firefighters from Colchester put out the blaze and an ambulance took the men, who have yet to be named, to Colchester General Hospital.

Firefighters spent 45 minutes searching nearby woodland because they were told a third person had been in the car. But it later materialised there had been some confusion and only two people were involved in the crash.

They are not thought to be seriously injured.

A spokesman for Colchester fire station said: "When we arrived they were in the back of an ambulance and very shocked and confused.

"It appeared that someone passing by had helped them out of the car just at the right time.

"If they had been trapped they would have been very seriously burned and could have been killed."

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