FIREFIGHTERS faced a 12-ton mountain of straw when they were called to a tractor crash in the village of Tillingham, near Maldon, this afternoon (Wednesday, 19 August).

A house in North Street was damaged when it took the brunt of the load spilled from the trailer, but the occupants escaped harm as they were in a back room of the house at the time.

The mammoth spillage happened when a tractor crashed into an electricity pylon at around 1.50pm. The pylon was also damaged.

Essex Fire and Rescue Service sent the Urban Search and Rescue Team (USAR) to the scene, where one of the team's rescue dogs was used to make sure nobody was under the trailer. USAR also assessed damage to the property.

The road was closed by police until the trailer was righted and the straw cleared from the scene.