A WOMAN found a man suspected of trying to commit suicide in forest this morning (July 2) as she was walking her dog.

Fiona Daniels, from Epping spotted the man sat in a car with the exhaust running into the window at around 7am.

She had been walking her dog through the forest area at Epping New Road, Loughton, when she came across the man, who she said was in his early twenties.

She said: "I ran up to Epping New Road to get help because I couldn't get into the car to help him. I called the emergency number for the forest rangers but they didn't know where I was and couldn't find a postcode. They said their computer system had crashed.

"By the time the paramedics arrived they had to break the window to get him out and he was completely unconscious and in a pretty bad way.

"I always thought this area was the safest place to walk your dog, but I don't think I'm going to go there anymore. Too many things have happened, wherever you go, and it's not a safe place to be alone. It's a shame, but there are not enough rangers patrolling the area to feel safe."

An Essex Police spokeswoman confirmed: “Police were contacted at 7.30am on Thursday July 2 following concerns for the welfare of a man in a car in Epping New Road, Loughton.

"Officers arrived with paramedics who took him to Whipps Cross Hospital.”