A man has forced his way into a house with a baseball bat and punched a man in the head.

The man broke into the property off York Road, Southend, at 6.30am yesterday.

He was armed with a baseball bat and when he was challenged, he punched the man and fled off in a vehicle.

Police searched the area and stopped a vehicle outside Southend Central train station at around 6.45am.

Officers arrested a 36-year-old man and he has since been released on bail until Monday, January 7.