A knife-wielding man threatened two teenage boys as they took an early morning walk in Chelmsford.

The teenagers, both aged 16 and from the Chelmsford area, were walking across a footbridge in Princes Road, near Chelmsford College, at about 8.30am on Thursday when they were accosted.

They told police there was no motive for the attack. They said the man pulled out a knife, which had a nine-inch blade, and threatened them with it.

A police spokesman said: "For no apparent reason whatsoever he held the knife to the neck of one of the lads and started shouting and swearing at them."

He added the man, said to be aged between 18 and 20, then ran off.

The attacker is described as being white, about 5ft 5ins tall, stocky with straight, blond, shoulder length-hair. He was unshaven.

He was wearing blue jeans and a black, or very dark green bomber jacket with a black and red baseball cap and spoke with a local accent.

"These boys are very shocked but fortunately unharmed and we would appeal to anyone who may have seen this youth to come forward and contact us immediately," the spokesman added.

If you saw anything or have any information, please contact Chelmsford police on 01245 491212 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555111

Converted for the new archive on 19 November 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.