Flooding after a month's rain

A man has paid tribute to rescuers who saved him and three young children from a sinking car after it became trapped in flood water. Dramatic video captured the scene as the youngsters were pulled from the windows of the 4x4 vehicle after getting stuck under a railway bridge in Hockley yesterday.

Scott Swinford from Southend was with his eight-year-old son Reece, his six year old niece Jessica, and four-year-old nephew Alfie, when they became trapped. Friends Hannah King, Emma Burles, from Hockley, waded into the deep water to rescue the group along with three young men .

Mr Swinford said: "I've never seen anything like that before. As I put the car into reverse the current of the flood water just lifted us further in. I just want to say to everyone who helped us - a big thank you."

A young family were dramatically rescued from a sinking car in Essex last night after roads became flooded with torrents of water. Parts of Kent, Sussex and south Essex saw heavy downpours in a few hours, closing many roads as Serena Sandhu reports.

The Bank holiday has been a washout for many but in Essex people spent the first day of the long weekend up to their knees in water.

Drains burst on the beach front at Southend-on-Sea after a month's worth of rain fell in just a few hours.

The Met Met Office issued weather warnings across the east of England.

At one stage in the day, 20mm of rain fell across Essex in an hour, and entire streets had to be evacuated in the town of Billericay after floods caused landslips that dragged down a wall.