A man has spoken of how his car was punched and kicked while his three-year-old daughter was screaming in the backseat.

Ian Gill, 38, from Wickford, was approaching the Treacle Mine roundabout coming from Lakeside and was using it to connect onto the A1012.

But, as he was using the roundabout, at around 1:50pm, an incident happened where he felt inclined to sound his horn at another motorist.

He then left the roundabout and headed down the A1012.

But before he could progress much further, Mr Gill said that the driver, who was behind the wheel of a white Audi A3, undertook him and braked in front of him, resulting in Mr Gill being unable to get past.

The driver is then alleged to have exited the car and started punching and kicking it.

Mr Gill said: "The driver of the Audi got out of the car, marched over to mine, F'ing and blinding, and started punching and kicking my window.

"I thought he was going to smash the window as he was hitting it with such force.

"My three-year-old daughter was in the back screaming in the back saying 'Daddy, why is that man hitting our car?'

"I was fearing for my daughter's and my safety as if anything happened to me then my daughter would have been left here by herself."

A window of opportunity to escape arose for Mr Gill and he reversed back slightly into the little bit of space he had behind him, drove around the Audi driver and off towards the A13.

Shaken from the incident, Mr Gill drove carefully and slowly.

While heading down the A13, he noticed in his rear-view mirror that the Audi was behind him.

Mr Gill continued driving, with the hope that the Audi motorist was not following him.

To Mr Gill's relief, the Audi driver turned off towards Tilbury.

Mr Gill was left with a nasty dent in his car door following the incident.

Mr Gill added: "If he had followed me home I would not have been able to stop.

"My daughter still asks me if the dent in my car is gone and if the man is coming back."

A spokesman for Essex Police said: "We were called to reports of an incident in Lodge Lane, Grays at around 1.50pm on Sunday, November 12.

"The victim, a man in his 30s, reported a man had punched and kicked his car causing damage to the door. It followed a driving-related incident moments earlier.

"If you have any information about the incident please contact Essex Police on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111."