A WATER leak at Essex Police headquarters is causing delays on the 101 non-emergency crime reporting line.

Essex Police issued an apology today and explained water was leaking into the building which houses the servers at police HQ in Chelmsford.

Police insist there are no issues with 999 calls getting through.

In a statement, a spokesman said: "Although our systems are operational, people wanting to report non-emergency crime or incidents may experience minor delays calling 101 or in officers making contact following the report.

"Engineers are on site and contingencies are in place to prioritise the most urgent calls."