Businesses and roads have been left flooded after torrential rain hit the county.

Shops and businesses were affected by flooding in Bridge Street and BlueBridge Industrial Estate in Halstead.

A car got stuck in flood water in Colchester Road, also in Halstead, with two people being helped to safety by firefighters.

Essex Fire and Rescue dealt with more than 70 incidents in the space for three hours overnight.

There was also flooding of roads in the Braintree, Halstead and Chelmsford areas.

Station Manager Pete Donovan said: “Don’t risk driving through a flooded road, it takes less water than you think for a car to float and become out of control on the water.

“Instead turn around and find another route.”

Essex Weather Centre also revealed how much rain had fallen yesterday.

In a Tweet it showed the most had fallen in Coggeshall at 39.4mm.

Chelmer Village was second with 34.6mm and Witham third with 31.8mm.

Earls Colne was fifth with 22.2mm.

Essex Fire and Rescue has issued flood advice.

A spokesman said: “While we work with partner agencies to help during floods, we can only respond to incidents when there is a risk to life.

“We’d ask drivers not to risk driving through floodwater and instead to turn around and find another route.

“For home owners, we have this advice for residents whose homes are being affected by floodwater if and only if it is safe to do so:

• Ensure your external drains are clear of debris

• Take everything off the ground to prevent damage

• Turn electrics off and if you cannot do this safely, call an electrician”