THIS lorry driver had to be rescued by firefighters after his HGV got stuck in flood water at Paper Mill Lock, Little Baddow.
He is one of hundreds of drivers affected by the torrential rain over the past few days in what now looks set to be the wettest year ever for Essex.
Roads have been shut, causing traffic chaos across the county, and Essex County Fire and Rescue Service received more than 100 calls to flood-related incidents this week.
Firefighters even had to rescue an elderly couple from the first floor of their home on Fennfields Road, South Woodham Ferrers, after 20 homes flooded.
The areas worst affected were Danbury, Bicknacre and East Hanningfield.
But despite warnings many motorists had to be rescued from their vehicles, after driving through floodwater, including another man trapped on the roof of his car in four feet of water in Sandon.
Flood warnings were issued for riverside properties in Chelmsford and for the River Wid from Ingatestone to Writtle.
And with rain still expected to fall over the next couple of days and with snow predicted for the weekend, the weather is expected to get worse before it gets better.
Essex weatherman Tom Defty said: "This is actually quite a big event in terms of figures.
"The river at Sandon has had the highest ever reading and that goes back to 1979. At 4.30pm on Monday, it exceeded 1.4 metres, and is currently at 1.5m, the highest ever recorded.
"We had the wettest ever April, June and July, but this could definitely be edging towards the wettest year ever.
"But it is surprising that we have had to wait until November to have such heavy flooding considering how much rain we've had this year."
Little Baddow also saw its highest rainfall on record, with 37mm in six hours on Monday – the equivalent of a month's rainfall in six hours.
Witham recorded just over 50mm, and there was one to two inches of rainfall in six hours around Chelmsford, Braintree and Woodham Walter.
Police urged motorists to take care following the heavy rainfall which forced main roads to close.
Chief Insp Nick Lee said: "I would advise motorists to take great care in these conditions and not to underestimate the depth of surface water.
"Please drive at appropriate speeds as water running off the land can cause floods at unexpected locations.
"Make sure you keep tuned in to the radio and if possible avoid roads affected by the flooding.
"It is also important to be aware that most cars have air intakes near the lowest point on the vehicle and if water is sucked into the engine it can cause significant damage.
"On occasions where vehicles have become stranded they have caused additional problems for the emergency and recovery services, however, despite stretched resources Essex Police have been able to respond to all that called for assistance."
