A woman in her 40s has been assaulted in her own home by a group of four men in Clacton, with one believed to have been armed with a machete.

The victim answered a knock on her door in Cavendish Drive, Clacton, at around 10.20pm last night, with four men entering the property.

They assaulted the woman and one of the men is believed to have been carrying a machete.

The group carried out a messy search of the bedroom, but were disturbed by other people in the house and fled the scene.

Detectives from Essex Police are keen to trace a light-coloured Volkswagen Passat estate that was in the area at the time.

If you were in the area and saw or heard anything suspicious, or have CCTV or dashcam footage which would have been covering Flatford Drive, please get in touch with police.

Call Clacton CID on 101 and quote the crime reference number 42/61283/21.

Alternatively, if you would prefer to remain anonymous, you can call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.