A MAN was lucky to escape with his life following an attack by masked gunmen in a village near Brentwood.

Now police are appealing for witnesses to come forward with information about the frightening incident.

The 41-year-old victim was a passenger in a Vauxhall Cavalier containing two other people, a man and a woman, which was being driven along Curtis Mill Lane, Navestock sometime between 2.30am and 3am on Saturday morning.

The car was forced to stop as a result of a number of bin bags in the road, which investigating officers believe may have been placed there deliberately to serve as a kind of roadblock.

When the driver stepped out of his vehicle to remove the obstacle, two masked men appeared, and one of them fired a gun through the offside passenger window of the car.

However, the man put his arm up in an attempt to defend himself, and the bullet deflected off the thick jacket which he was wearing, causing only minor injuries.

Afterwards, the men drove off in a dark car, possibly a Ford Orion, while the victim refused medical assistance.

A police spokesman said: "It certainly was a very lucky escape and police are treating this very seriously as it could have resulted in a loss of life.

"If the circumstances had been slightly different we could have been looking at a murder inquiry."

Police believe the incident may be connected with a fight with another man which the victim had been involved in at about midnight in Bar West One in Kings Road, Brentwood.

Anyone with any information should contact Det Insp Tim Wills at Harlow CID on 01279 641212.

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