A young woman was trapped in her car for nearly an hour when it ploughed into a telegraph pole, splitting it in two.

The driver was today recovering in intensive care at Basildon Hospital following the accident which happened at about 6.30pm last night in Old Road, Rettendon.

It is believed she suffered serious back injuries from being thrown into the passenger's seat as the car became lodged between the wooden pole and the road bank.

The top half of the pole came down onto the road and it is thought phone lines in the road were affected by the accident.

Fire crews from South Woodham Ferrers and Leigh had to delicately cut the woman free as the car's front end was lodged three feet off the ground on the road bank.

Leading Fireman, Steve Woodward, of Leigh fire station, said: "We had to take a great deal of care.

"The victim's head was right up against the door and so we had to carefully cut away.

"She was complaining about her back throughout."

A full police investigation is now under way and relatives of the injured woman are being informed.

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