A DRIVER in his sixties was beaten to the floor with a golf club in a suspected road rage row.

The man was taken to Basildon Hospital with injuries to his head and hand after the assault in Tyefields, Pitsea, in broad daylight.

Eyewitnesses told the Echo the victim had blood pouring from his hand and looked as if he was about to have a heart attack.

It is believed an argument broke out at about 11.50am yesterday after the victim pulled out of Rectory Road into Tyefields in front of another car, driven by a man believed to be in his late teens or early twenties.

One Tyefields resident, who did not want to be named, said: “First of all I thought it was just a bit of road rage, then the young bloke, who looked about 18, got out and went to the older man’s car and pointed round the corner, where they went.

“Then, all of a sudden, they got out of their cars and the young man attacked him about four times with this golf club.

“He went down on the floor and he was still whacking him when he was on the floor.

“It all happened so fast. His hand was pouring with blood and he was sweating like he was going to have a heart attack at one point.

“I called the police and stayed with him until his family and the ambulance turned up. The lad had already driven off.

“It’s disgusting. It was a Sunday morning and there was some little boy walking with his parents there at the time. It was awful.

“What kind of aworld do we live in?”

Detectives are appealing for anyone with information about the incident to contact them.

A spokesman for Essex Police said: “Police were contacted with reports a man had been assaulted in Tyefields, Pitsea.

“The man, who is in his sixties and from the Basildon area, was taken to hospital with injuries to his hand and head.

“Inquiries are ongoing.

Anyone with information is asked to call Basildon CID on 101.”