A HAIRDRESSER has described the terrifying moment “mindless” youngsters catapulted objects at her car on a busy dual-carriageway.

Jane Higgins, from Canvey, was driving along the A13 when she ran into traffic near the turning for Pitsea Crematorium at about 5.30pm on Wednesday.

She spotted someone standing on a bridge over the road and was shocked to see they had hold of a leather catapult.

Jane, 46, who runs salon Styles Hair Studio, in Basildon, said: “There was what I presumed was a kid on the bridge.

“Just as I was approaching, I saw them pull back the catapult.

“There wasn’t anything I could do as there was a car right behind me so I couldn’t brake and I couldn’t go anywhere.

“I just had to ride it out.”

She isn’t sure what exactly hit her windscreen, but it has cracked the glass.

She pulled into a layby further up the road and the driver of a petrol tanker had also been hit.

Jane said: “He was really shaken up. His windscreen was properly smashed.

“He said that he had just filled up with petrol so the tanker was full.

“If he had swerved because of the catapult, there could have been an explosion if there was a crash.

“It is so dangerous and mindless to do this.

“They must have hit a lot of cars while they were up there.

“It wasn’t as though they hit the cars and ran off, they stayed up there.”

Both Jane and the petrol tanker driver reported the incident to the police.

A police spokesman said: “Police were called to reports of a boy firing a catapult at cars from a bridge over the A13 at Pitsea at around 6.10pm on June 7.

A number of vehicles were damaged.

Officers attended the scene but no-one was found at the location.” Call 101 quoting incident 903 of 06/07.