A cyclist aged just 11 years old has been attacked by an adult cyclist following a collision.

The boy was riding on the Prittle Brook Greenway in Westcliff, Southend, near to Chase High School on Monday afternoon, when he was involved in a collision with another cyclist.

The man, who is described as white with a shaved head and blue eyes, then assaulted him and threw his bike into a nearby brook.

Officers are keen to speak to anyone who was walking along Prittle Brook at the time of the incident who may have information that helps their investigation.

Anyone with any information should contact PC Rob Webber or his colleagues in Southend on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

It’s not the first act of aggression reported against a cyclist in Southend - earlier this year we reported how a wire was strung across a mountain bike course in Belfairs Wood, in a prank that "could have easily killed someone", locals say.

The thin length of wire was discovered on 10 August by Hadleigh Mountain Biking Club member, David Murray, stretched across a path some mountain bike riders approach at speed.

The Club’s chairman Chris Hyde, from Leigh, said: “It goes without saying it’s utterly disgusting behaviour and dangerous to anyone who uses the woods".

“The height of it looks to be about the level of a six or seven-year-old’s neck while riding a bike, but this would have been dangerous to anyone cycling down there, or even the horse riders that use the woods.

“It’s beyond unthinkable that anyone could do that.”