A man was left shaken after being robbed of his car keys at knifepoint in Clacton this morning.

Police are appealing for witnesses to the incident, which took place at Bluehouse Avenue in the town at 4am.

The victim, aged in his 40s, was in his car near the local shops when he was approached by four men, all described as being white and aged in their early to mid 20s.

Two of the men then threatened the victim with knives and told him to hand over his car keys, which he did before getting out of the vehicle.

The man was unharmed but was shaken by the experience.

Later, accompanied by officers, the man found that his car had not been moved but that his keys were still missing.

Police said it is unclear at this stage if anything else has been taken from the car.

All four men have been described as wearing grey tracksuits and speaking with London accents.

The two men with knives have been described as being around 6ft tall. One wore a hat and the other a baseball cap.

Anyone with information is asked to call Clacton CID on 101, quoting incident number 103 of 02/10.

Alternatively, contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.