A man was taken to hospital with head injuries after being struck by a baseball bat over the weekend.

The incident happened outside Braintree Town Hall, in Fairfield Road, at about 2.20am on Sunday.

Police were called by the ambulance service after receiving reports of a man being hit in the head with a bat.

The victim, in his 40s, was taken to hospital with head injuries, but his condition is not believed to be life-threatening or life-changing.

The attacker is described as a man in his early 20s, of a medium build with short dark hair and about 5ft 10in tall.

He may have been wearing a white T-shirt and dark jeans.

Detective Sergeant Luke Howard, of Braintree CID, said: "We are appealing for anyone with information to please come forward.

"This is still in the early stages of investigation, so if you don’t recognise the suspect’s description but believe you may have witnessed the incident, please still tell us.

"We will continue to investigate all leads to establish the events leading up to this man’s assault.

"I also know that several passers-by stopped and stayed with the man after he was injured and I’d like to personally thank them for their help."

Anyone with information related to the incident is urged to contact Essex Police, quoting incident number 178 of November 21.