PARTYGOERS were stranded after the torrential downpour flooded a Hadleigh car park.

Friends and family of Ella Green descended on the Old Fire Station, in Hadleigh High Street, to celebrate her 13th birthday, and became trapped inside as the water rose.

They were forced to wait inside the venue for three hours until the rain slowed and it was safe to drive.

Ella’s mum Kerry Green, 35, of Daws Heath Road, Thundersley, said: “We didn’t realise how bad it was until we opened the door and saw how high the water was. We kept having to go to the car to get bits so it was a bit of a spectacle.

“We made sure it didn’t ruin Ella’s birthday and everyone still turned up. We all got inside before the worst of it really started. I think the excitement of the floods added to the atmosphere of the day. We really enjoyed ourselves.”