Firefighters are warning all dog owners to stay safe when out walking their dogs and to keep them on the lead at all times following an incident in Halstead this morning.

Fire crews were called to help rescue a dog which had been swept down a river after running off from his owners during a walk this morning.

Crew Manager Lee Bacon said:

Firefighters were called to a chimney fire in Chappel last night after the residents heard their smoke alarms going off.

On arrival, crews reported that flames and embers were coming out the top of the chimney but due to difficult access to the roof and chimney, firefighters worked to tackle the fire from the ground.

Crews used chimney rods and a stirrup pump unblock the flue and extinguished the fire by 11:22pm. The chimney flue was undamged.

Firefighters rescued a man from a lorry following a road traffic collision in Thurrock this morning.

On arrival, crews reported that a lorry had left the roadway and a man was trapped. 

Firefighters worked to rescue the man just before 9am and he was left in the care of the Ambulance Service.

On-call firefighters in Braintree spent nearly 3 hours preventing flood water entering 12 houses last night after the River Brain in Braintree burst its banks.

The team worked with on-call firefighters from Maldon who brought specialist equipment to help pump the water in sections away from the houses.

Firefighters rescued a woman who got stuck in mud after wading in to help her grandchildren - and have issued safety advice to walkers.

On-call firefighters from Wethersfield and Thaxted were called to Little Bardfield Road, Little Bardfield today at 3.08pm.

Crews discovered a woman in her seventies stuck in a muddy field. 

Station Manager Darren Driscoll said: "The woman was walking with her grandsons across fields when the boys, aged seven and nine, became stuck in mud.

Firefighters pumped floodwater from the A127 to allow highways officials to reopen the road.

Crews from Ingatestone and Basildon were called to assist the Highways Agency last night (Friday) at 7.40pm. 

Firefighters worked at the scene, close to junction B186 for Warley, until 12.45am, pumping water in an area approximately 50 metres by 50 metres.

Group Manager Terry Povey said: "It is important that we keep the major routes open, particularly with snow falling in Essex this weekend.

Firefighters rescued a woman after a road traffic collision close to the Sadlers Farm Roundabout in Basildon yesterday at 9.18pm.

On arrival, crews from Basildon and Grays reported that a car and lorry had collided and a woman was trapped in her car.

Firefighters rescued the woman by removing the roof and she was left in the care of the Ambulance Service at 10.23pm.

Crews extinguished a fire in a four-storey building which has left three families homeless.

Firefighters were called to Queens Road, Buckhurst Hill today at 3.33pm and were faced with large amounts of smoke coming from the building.

Crews from Loughton, Waltham Abbey, Grays (Aerial Ladder Platform) and two crews from London Fire Brigade initially attended the incident.

Station Manager Dave Bond said: "Firefighters entered the building to locate the fire and worked in arduous conditions to stop it from spreading.

Firefighters rescued a man who was trapped in water in a quarry.

Crews were called to a nature reserve in Drake Road, Chafford Hundred yesterday at 10.54pm after a member of the public heard a man shouting for help.

Firefighters from Grays, our water rescue team from Leigh and our Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) team attended. They worked closely with Essex Police, which deployed a drone to assist in the rescue, the Ambulance Service and the Hazardous Area Response Team (HART).

Firefighters rescued an elderly horse today after it collapsed and was trapped.

On arrival, crews reported that the 32-year-old horse had collapsed and was trapped between an exercise area and fences.

Firefighters worked together to move the horse - who weighed approximately 500 kgs - using a glide and were able to move it to a safe area.

Crews then rotated the horse as it had been on its side for a prolonged time. The horse was unharmed and left in the care of its owner who had owned the horse for 28 years.