A MAN who was bitten and threatened with a hypodermic needle during a carjacking has told how he fought off his attacker.

Mechanic Tony, 20, who does not want to give his full name, also told how he is furious with police who failed to show up at the scene - and asked him to make his own way to a police station.

Tony's ordeal began at around 10.45am on Saturday when he was driving home from work in Basildon to Stanford-le-Hope.

On the way, he saw two men running around the east bound carriageway of Broadmayne and a car parked up, as he slowed down to see what was going on one of the men jumped into the back of his week-old blue Fiat Brava.

He said: "He pulled out the needle and made me drive through the red lights on Broadmayne and down Long Riding.

"He said do us a favour and lend me a fiver' and as I picked my wallet up he leant right over into the front of the car and tried to take the whole wallet.

"He was right in my face and I had to pull up the handbrake. I hit him in the face to get him away from me."

Tony managed to grab his wallet and phone and get out of the car.

The attacker tried to grab the keys as Tony pulled them from the ignition, but he managed to hold on to them.

Tony said: "Once I was out of the car he started apologising and asked me to drive him again.

"I just stood there and phoned 999. He ran off down Long Riding."

An ambulance crew arrived, but more than an hour later police still hadn't shown up so paramedics radioed to find out how long they would be.

But officers instead asked Tony to make his own way to the police station.

He said: "It is unacceptable the police can't even attend an incident like this.

"They told me they have to prioritise all of their calls, but is someone being attacked with a needle not a priority?

"Then the police kept asking me why I can't give a more detailed description of what he looked like.

"But I thought the next time someone's waving a needle in your face, you try remembering what colour their trainers are!"

Nishan Wijeratne, Essex Police spokesman, said: "We deployed officers to the scene, but the vehicle sustained a punctured tyre en route.

"The victim was not in danger as his assailant had run off.

"Ideally we would have gone to the crime scene, but as paramedics were treating him there, we would have been unable to speak to him anyway.

"We required his vehicle for a forensic examination so, as he was a short distance away, we asked him to attend the police station where this was carried out and where detectives spoke to him."

The suspect was white, in his 20s and of medium build.

Anyone with information about the incident, which began at about 10.45am on Saturday, should call Det Con Nic Graham on 0300 3334444.