A motorist was lucky to be alive after children hurled a rock onto their car from a bridge.
Youngsters were spotted with the brick above the A12 yesterday afternoon before it smashed through the windscreen of a car travelling on the southbound carriageway.
The driver of the blue Volkswagen panel van walked away unscathed from the smash just after 3pm.
The group of children were spotted on the Halstead footbridge above the A12, between the Spring Lane and Stanway junctions, by the driver.
Essex was hit by a spate of similar attacks last year after concrete blocks were thrown from bridges in Chelmsford.
One woman driver was left critically ill in hospital after the block smashed through her windscreen.
A spokesman for Essex Police said: "This is a very serious crime, which this time luckily did not result in any injuries.
“However, it could very easily have resulted in serious injuries or even death.
“We will make every effort to find and bring to justice those young people who did this, not least to deter anyone else from doing something so very, very stupid and dangerous.”
Anyone with information should contact DC Steve Clarke at Colchester Police on 101 or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.