SHOPPERS watched in horror as a man slashed his own neck with a razor blade after a row with his girlfriend.

Members of the public intervened as the argument in Leigh Broadway turned violent.

After the couple were forced apart, the man was seen pulling a razor blade from his pocket and cutting himself from his ear to his collar bone.

Eva Holmes, manager of Creme Cakes and Shakes, tried to comfort the man while she waited for police and paramedics to arrive at the scene.

She said: “The girlfriend went off and left him on his own.

“I went and sat with the man but my boss was on the phone to police and told me to get away from him because you don’t know what else they have.

“He just said to me ‘is it bad?’ “It was a big cut, blood was pouring out and you could see the muscle. It was so lucky he didn't cut his jugular."

Mrs Holmes said the man, believed to be in his twenties, spent 20 minutes holding a jumper to his neck before getting up and walking away.

The girlfriend, who also appeared to have cuts on her body, returned to the scene shortly after.

Mrs Holmes added: "She was covered in blood. She had a bag and said to the ambulance guys ‘if you find him can you give him these beers?’ “It’s so sad. How do people get themselves into this state?”

Brett Ridley, director at BHK Insurance, also called police after watching the incident unfold shortly after 5pm yesterday.

He said: “The couple were having a huge row.

“When it looked like the man was going to give her a right hander a lot of people from the shops came out.

“She said something like ‘I can’t believe what you’ve done’ and threw him a jumper.

“He then put it to his neck to stop the blood.”

The Herts and Essex Air Ambulance landed on the green on Cliff Parade, where the crew jumped off and ran up to Broadway.

The man was eventually found in nearby High Cliff Drive and taken to Southend Hospital for treatment.

His injuries are believed to be minor.

An Essex Police spokesman said: “Police were called with reports a man had been found injured in Broadway, Leigh.

“He was located near High Cliff Drive and taken to hospital with a cut to his neck that required stitches.

“Following enquiries, police are satisfied there was no third party involvement and he has been left in the care of health professionals.”