Essex Police at reservoir near Chelmsford after aircraft crash

Henry Godfrey-Evans/BBC A bouquet of flowers tied to a metal fence. It is made of flowers in different shades of yellow, orange, pink and red. A reservoir can be seen on the other side of the fence. It's a gray cloudy day. — Flowers were left on the fences at the reservoir

Police said a small plane crashed into the reservoir.

Essex Police were called shortly after 14:00 GMT on Sunday to reports that the aircraft had entered the water at Hanningfield Reservoir, near Chelmsford.

On Monday, the force said its officers remained at the scene of a serious incident and were working with a number of agencies.

Ch Supt Waheed Khan said: “We are still in the early stages of our investigation and are working closely with the Air Accident Investigation Branch to establish what happened.”

Police remained at the reservoir near Chelmsford on Monday

Henry Godfrey-Evans/BBC A police car parked at the entrance to a reservoir. There is a large green gate and fence marking the boundary of the site. There is also a large blue sign indicating the name of the reservoir. — Police remained at the reservoir near Chelmsford on Monday

He appealed for anyone with information, CCTV, dash cam or other footage to get in touch.

Police did not release any information about injuries. Flowers were left on the fence around the reservoir.

The public was asked to stay away from the area.

A spokesman for the Essex Wildlife Trust, which manages the nature reserve at the reservoir, confirmed the visitor center would remain closed on Monday.