A MAN was hit on the head with a hammer during a violent robbery.

A good samaritan stepped in and managed to scare the robbers away.

The victim, aged in his 20s, was robbed in Basildon at 12.20am on Sunday (March 11).

He was walking along Gordon Road, near its junction with Frettons, when a man struck him on the head with a hammer, causing him to fall to the ground.

As he lay there, another man rifled through his pockets and stole £100 cash.

A passerby intervened and managed to get the robbers away from the victim, but they fled with the cash.

The victim was taken to Basildon Hospital by ambulance and treated for a cut to his head.

DS Mike Wilkinson, of Essex Police, said: "The suspects were seen to flee in a small black car, so we are interested in speaking to anyone that may have seen where this car went.

"We also desperately need to speak to the good samaritan who intervened, as he is a key witness to this incident, and we want to thank him for being brave enough to get involved.

"If this was you, or you know who this man is, please get in touch to help us with our investigation.”

Anyone with any information is asked to contact Ds Mike Wilkinson at the Basildon target offender team on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.