A NEW interactive adventure game or 'escape room' could be opening soon in Kelvedon.

Cryptx, the company set up by banker James Ducker and his wife Sharon, have submitted a planning application to Braintree Council to convert a light industrial unit on Feering Hill.

An escape room tasks the occupants with getting out of the chamber within a time limit by solving puzzles and working as a team.

James said: "We did our first escape room in Spain in the summer and we loved it.

"Me and Sharon have three children aged nine, 12 and 16.

"There is just so many different things to do and it was so much fun as a family.

"When we got home one of the children asked if we could build one in the garage and I thought that it might actually be a good idea."

Cryptx are in the process of building their first escape rooms near Cambridge and are hoping that the site in Kelvedon could be open for business as soon as March.

James said: "The plan is in Kelvedon we will have a bank heist room where it is not just about the escape but a competition as to how much money you can take with you.

"We are going to do a library room with the theme of Sherlock Holmes. It is going to be like an adventure story book. If you pick a certain route you might be sent back to the start.

"The last one is going to be different again and people will not be able to see each other but will have walkie talkies."

If the application is approved it will be the first of its kind in North Essex.

James said: "The idea has spread over from Japan and there are quite a lot in America.

"Now there are around 70 in London but only one in Essex. The rest of the country has not quite got on the bandwagon yet.

"It is similar to a video game but it is about bringing the adventure to life - it is fun for the whole family."