THE victim of a suspected assault was hit over the head by a man carrying a baseball bat, police say.

Officers with Essex Police were called by the ambulance service at around 2.20am today (Sunday, November 21).

A man had been found injured near to Braintree Town Hall on Fairfield Road, Braintree.

It was reported that he had been hit over the head by a man carrying a baseball bat, police say..

The victim, in his 40s, was taken to hospital with head injuries, but these are not believed to be life-threatening or life-changing at this time.

The suspect is described as being in his early 20s, of a medium build with short dark hair and approximately 5ft 10in tall.

He may have been wearing a white T-shirt and dark jeans.

Detective Sergeant Luke Howard, of Braintree CID, said: "We are appealing for anyone with information to please come forward.

“This is still in the early stages of investigation, so if you don’t recognise the suspect’s description but believe you may have witnessed the incident, please still tell us.

“We will continue to investigate all leads to establish the events leading up to this man’s assault.

“I also know that several passers-by stopped and stayed with the man after he was injured and I’d like to personally thank them for their help.”

Police also want to hear from anyone with CCTV, video or dash-cam footage from the area which may help the investigation.

Offciers are asking witnesses to call 101quoting incident 178 of today.