FAMILIES came face to face with a vicious looking beast at a shopping centre.

Dinosaur-mad youngsters caught sight of the giant Velociraptor at Eastgate Shopping Centre, Basildon on Wednesday.

It was part of a special Jurassic themed event.

Fortunately Ritchie the Velociraptor turned out to be friendly and met his adoring public during three appearances.

The scary looking creature stands at eight feet tall and 17 feet long, and entertained the crowds.

He was joined by the Jurassic rangers and some cute newly hatched dinosaur babies including a triceratops and a brontosaurus.

The children at the event also enjoyed a Jurassic craft workshop and decorated a dinosaur creation of their own.

The naughty dinosaur ran through the shopping centre, diving in and out of shops meeting customers and staff.

More than 600 dinosaurs were decorated by children at the free Jurassic craft workshop at the event.

The children used a range of crafting materials and enjoyed showing off their creations during the event.

Eastgate centre manager Ian Clark said: “Ritchie the Raptor created a really lively event, with lots of laughter.

"It’s a great spectacle to see the dinosaur in motion, running around the shops. Children were stunned by how quick it was.”