Couple get payout after water buffaloes fall into Essex swimming pool

Andy and Lynette Smith spent 10 months seeking compensation after animals' escape from nearby farm

An Essex couple have spent 10 months seeking compensation after 18 escaped water buffaloes stampeded through their garden, with eight of them taking a morning dip in their new swimming pool.

Andy and Lynette Smith, who are retired, say that their garden and pool were ruined after the animals, which weigh about 600kg each, got out of a rare breeds farm and on to their property, causing more than 25,000 worth of damage.