A car burst into flames near a village primary school.

Firefighters were called to Maldon Road, Tiptree, shortly before 9am on Friday morning.

On arrival they found the vehicle was almost entirely alight.

Steve Mason, saw the incident unfold after leaving his mother's home on the street.

He said: "There was an almighty bang when I came outside this morning.

"Then I saw the flames coming from a car.

Maldon Road is one of the main routes through Tiptree and links Colchester and Maldon.

Drivers were advised to avoid the area whilst the emergency services dealt with the incident.

Essex Fire and Rescue Service managed to extinguish the fire by 9.10am.

Traffic soon cleared and travel times returned to normal.

The cause of the fire is unknown.