A YOUNG woman who accepted a lift home from a stranger had to fight him off when he tried to rape her.

The 26-year-old woman from Southend, left Element nightclub, in Alexandra Street, Southend, between midnight and 3am on Sunday morning with a man who gave her a lift in a small, silver three-door hatchback.

The car stopped near to London Road in Westcliff, where the man tried to sexually assault the woman.

She fought back, causing the man to hit his head on the car windscreen, which cracked.

Police investigating the assault described the man as white, aged around 26 or 27, 5ft 6in tall, and of average build.

He was wearing a stripey top and spoke with a foreign accent.

Police want to hear from anyone who recognises this description or has been asked to fit a new windscreen to a car matching the description.

Following the assault, members of the SOS Bus project, which provides a safe haven for vulnerable people in the High Street every weekend between 9pm and 3am, advised revellers to never get a lift with someone they don’t know.

John Bastin, who runs the project, said: “When you go out, make sure you go out with a friend and not just an acquaintance, because friends look after each other.”

Anyone with information about the attempted rape should call Southend CID on 0300 3334444.