HOODED thugs who terrorised a woman on her way to work during the early hours of the morning did not commit any criminal offences, police say.

The woman said she was surrounded by a group of four yobs, who stood in front of her car as she drove along Rectory Road, Pitsea, at around 3.30am on Friday,

The gang proceeded to block the road in an attempt to stop her from leaving, before yelling verbal abuse at the woman and bashing the bonnet of her car.

Terrified, the woman quickly put her car into reverse and drove off in the opposite direction.

Shortly after the incident, the woman’s family took to social media to warn residents of what had happened, explaining how the experience had left her shaken up.

Pitsea councillor Jack Ferguson said: “This is an extremely terrifying incident for the poor lady involved; nobody should ever have to experience this near where they live.”

The incident took place close to the Winifred Road and Crest Avenue junctions.

Pitsea councillor Luke Mackenzie added: “This is yet another incident in Pitsea - we need to take a zero tolerance approach to these thugs and criminals.

“Last year when in administration we paid for extra police officers who now cover the area, and although the Government is now funding even more, we need to see extra patrols on the streets.

“Whether it’s locking them up or denying them access to council services, we need to make Pitsea a no-go area for wrongdoers.”

A spokesperson from Essex Police said: “We were called shortly after 3.30am on Friday January 17 with reports a group of men were causing a disturbance in Crest Avenue, Pitsea. We spoke to the parties involved and they left the scene. No criminal offences were reported.”