Boy driver, 10, cut free from car

It took firefighters an hour to cut the 10-year-old from the car

A 10-year-old boy has been taken to hospital after crashing his father's car at about 0530 BST on Tuesday.

It took firefighters an hour to free the boy from the blue Rover 420 which crashed in Southmayne.

Paramedic Paul Levine said the car left the road, hit a concrete wall and then collided with a lamppost.

The boy was taken to Basildon Hospital with back and chest pain. He also had minor injuries and bruising and a possible fractured wrist.

"Considering the damage to the car, he was extremely lucky not to have suffered more serious injuries," Mr Levine said.

An Essex Police spokesman said the road was closed for around three hours while emergency services dealt with the scene.