THOUSANDS of jerry cans have been dispatched from north Essex to the Philippines as part of the UK’s response to Typhoon Haiyan.

The typhoon swept across the south-east Asian island last Friday, bringing winds of up to 195mph.

The official death toll stands at more than 2,200, but officials and aid workers say it could rise much higher, with 11.3million people having been affected.

Marks Tey company Lifesaver Systems has dispatched its first 40 pallets of jerrycans to the stricken island.

The cans, which filter dirty water or rain water into pure water, were ordered by disaster relief organisation Oxfam.

They will enable thousands of Filipinos living in the disaster areas to have access to 50million litres of clean drinking water.

Michael Pritchard MBE, who invented the can, said: “Using the jerrycan to provide a robust source of sterile water for drinking and hygiene is a key part of any disaster relief programme.”