diagnosis of engine trouble Escort N Reg?

My Escort has just had steam pouring from under the bonnet.

Upon opening the bonnet i could see steam coming from the water chamber on the left towards the front of the left hand side.

I unscrewed the cap and steam came streaming out at high pressure whilst what looked like brown water was puring from underneath of the car.

The temperature gauge was maxed and i was unsure if this could be a burst pipe, head gasket.....i am guessing here.

Any Ideas?