A major exercise tested firefighters’ response to a four vehicle road traffic collision in Wethersfield.

Firefighters from Thaxted, Wethersfield and Sible Hedingham fire stations were given the opportunity to train with Rayleigh Weir’s new heavy rescue pump.

The simulation, at the service’s Wethersfield training centre, involved a crash between two cars, a van and a heavy goods vehicle with four people – including a heavily pregnant woman – trapped.

More than 30 firefighters were involved in the exercise and crews used three sets of cutting equipment and rescue equipment to release the casualties.

Sub officer Darren Hockley said: “The simulation has helped our firefighters to further learn and develop. It also allowed us to test our communications techniques.

“We tried making the exercise as real as possible. It was cold and dark with little lighting.”