Police officers who acted quickly to contain an incident after a van exploded in Southend and left one of their colleagues badly injured have been praised.

Essex Police received a report that a previous occupant, who had been evicted, was allegedly trying to gain access to their old property in Southend on July 22 2021.

The man was known to police on duty, as he had been released from prison that morning after receiving a custodial sentence for assaulting a police officer.

They were aware the individual had been evicted while in prison, and therefore should not be able to access the property.

For this reason, PC Sam Hilbery, PC Joe Farrow and two other colleagues all attended.

PC Hilbery and PC Farrow arrived and were informed the suspect might be in a nearby van. As they approached the van, PC Farrow tried to open the back door while PC Hilbery looked through the window.

Suddenly the van exploded, causing PC Hilbery to be thrown back by the blast. She sustained severe burns and had glass embedded in her face and upper torso.

PC Farrow moved PC Hilbery away from further danger and provided initial first aid.

Colleagues started looking for the suspect, with all available units at Southend Police Station making their way to the scene.

He was located within the vehicle and officers got him out to a place of safety, before placing him under arrest.

PC Farrow made surrounding occupants aware of the situation, activating his vehicle siren and lights to draw people's attention, before directing them to a safe place.

Three other officers, including Sgt Katy Major, arrived within minutes and helped him evacuate the whole street.

Sgt Major took control of the scene and ensured roadblocks were put in once the area was cleared.

PC Hilbery was being tended to by PC Steve Martin and PC Garry Neal.

They stripped off her burned clothing and poured water over her to reduce the burns.

Sgt Major directed the rest of her team to bang on doors to get more water, for both PC Hilbery and for the suspect, who was also injured and receiving first aid.

Paramedics arrived, took over first aid and conveyed PC Hilbery to the hospital. The paramedics praised the officers on scene, whose quick actions "undoubtedly" lessened the severity of PC Hilbery’s burns.

PC Martin said: “We heard officers going to an incident which didn’t seem overly serious… And then the next thing we heard was an emergency call… over the radio, all you could make out was there’d been an explosion and someone was hurt.

“On that particular scene, because I knew that a police officer had been hurt, there’s a lot of confusion, people are quite upset with what’s going on, and then when you’re seeing a colleague being brought towards you, clearly in pain, it’s a bit of a cliché but the training did take over in terms of the medical treatment we gave her.

“It’s good to see that the training we had meant that we could minimise any injuries to Sam and that she remains a police officer doing the job for the people of Essex.”

The suspect went to court but was found not guilty of any offences.

Essex Police Federation Chair Laura Heggie said: “All of the officers who attended this incident showed great professionalism and initiative, in what was a very traumatic and stressful situation. Together they were able to detain the suspect, secure the scene, protect the public, and ensure that PC Hilbery was given the best care possible.

“Seeing a colleague in pain is a distressing experience for everyone, but these officers were able to remain calm and composed. They should all be very proud of their brave and exemplary actions.”

The officers will attend the Essex Police Federation Bravery Awards on Thursday (May 18).

At the event a winner will be announced who will travel to London for the National Police Federation Bravery Awards in July.