FIREFIGHTERS from all over Essex held charity car washes in support of injured soldiers.

They may be used to training their hoses on burning buildings but on Saturday they switched to washing cars.

The sunny weather meant the firemen were mobbed from the off, as the public turned up at stations across the county in droves to pay a donation to have their vehicles cleaned.

Money raised will go to Help the Heroes, a charity that supports British soldiers and their families injured or killed in current conflicts.

Justin Benson-Ryke, station officer at Southend fire station, said: “It really is a fantastic charity. We risk our lives in our job, but that is nothing compared to what soldiers in Afghanistan go through.”