By Sharon AsplinA MOTORIST has told how she was left shaking with fear after a missile was thrown from a footbridge on to her car.Mother-of-two Elaine Beckett was driving her Honda Civic along the A131 at Great Leighs when it was attacked.

By Sharon Asplin

A MOTORIST has told how she was left shaking with fear after a missile was thrown from a footbridge on to her car.

Mother-of-two Elaine Beckett was driving her Honda Civic along the A131 at Great Leighs when it was attacked.

As she approached a footbridge over the road near the old Essex Showground, she looked up and saw a boy raising his arm.

A split second later there was a loud bang on her car roof as it was hit with what Mrs Beckett believed was either a brick or a large stone, causing damage running to several hundred pounds.

She stopped in a lay-by and found a large dent and a smaller one on the roof of her car, between the windscreen and her sunroof, which was open at the time.

Mrs Beckett, 52, from Halstead, said: “I was shaking when I pulled in. It could have gone through the windscreen or the open sunroof. I could have been killed and it could have caused a dreadful accident involving other cars.”

After stopping in the lay-by, she phoned 999 for the police. The incident is now being investigated and officers urged parents to talk to their children about the danger of throwing objects onto the road.

The incident happened at about 3.30pm on July 21 as Mrs Beckett was driving alone towards Braintree.

The boy on the footbridge was aged between 11 and 13 and was wearing a white shirt and dark-coloured trousers, possibly part of a school uniform.

Anyone with information should contact Chelmsford police on 01245 491212.

sharon.asplin@eadt.co.uk