A WOMAN was hurt and taken to hospital after an incident in Corringham this afternoon (Saturday, 3 February) when a car crashed into the entrance of a retail store.

The drama was played out just after noon today when emergency teams from the police, fire service and ambulance service - plus doctors flown in by the Essex and Herts Air Ambulance, rushed to the Chelmsford Star Co-operative store on the Sorrells.

The scene this afternoon at the Co-op on the Sorrells.

An injured woman was attended by ambulance staff plus medics flown in by the air ambulance which landed at Stanford Recreation ground,

The driver of a vehicle, a Kia hatchback, had apparently lost control as he turned into the store car park and smashed into the entrance hall, where the woman was walking out.

The driver received treatment at the scene but is understood to have only minor injuries. Medical teams concentrated on care for the woman, while firefighters from Grays and Basildon worked to extricate the car from the building.

Firefighters worked hard for almost an hour to free the car from the security pole it had become impaled on.

It proved to be a complicated operation as the vehicle had been impaled on a large steel security post. Cutting tools and jacks were used to free the car before it was eventually pulled free,

A police officer at the scene said the incident was being treated as a 'crime scene'. It is not yet known if the driver has been arrested.

The building in its previous incarnation as the Catcracker pub.

The foodstore is on the site of the former Catcracker pub, which closed in 2013 and was converted after being bought by Chelsford Star, opening as a food outlet in 2014..

A statement from Essex Police says: "We were called to reports of an incident where a car has been in collision with a building in the Sorrells at around 12.20pm on Saturday, 3 February.

"The vehicle was also in collision with a pedestrian who has sustained potentially serious injuries. Enquiries are ongoing.

"If you have any information, CCTV, dash cam or other footage in relation to this incident, then please get in contact with us quoting incident 459 of 3 February..

"You can let us know by submitting a report on our website where you can use our online Live Chat service available Monday to Friday (excluding public holidays) between 10am-9pm.

"Visit https://www.essex.police.uk/digital101to find out more about our website reporting services. Alternatively, you can call us on 101.

"If you would like to make an anonymous report, you can contact independent charity Crimestoppers on X, formerly Twitter, at @CrimestoppersUK, by visiting their website or by calling 0800 555 111.

The Sorrells was closed while emergency services dealt with the incident, meaning local bus services were diverted for around an hour and a half.

Buses had to turn around and make a diversion.

A spokesperson at the site for the Co-op said an assessment will now take place but could not give an indication of when the store might reopen.

The air ambulance at Stanford Rec.