Steve Manley - "My wife was covered in blood with the concrete block on her chest"

Carol Manley, 57, suffered multiple rib and facial injuries when a bucket sized block smashed through the windscreen of her Nissan ntec as it passed under West Hanningfield Road Bridge near Galleywood just after 10pm on Thursday, December 1, 2011.

The grandmother of 11, who suffers from epilepsy and arthritis, had only just recovered from serious stomach surgery when she was struck by the block on her way home to Harold Hill after visiting friends.

She is now in Broomfield Hospital recovering from reconstructive facial surgery but her husband Steve, 56, and daughter Michelle Clifton, 37, say she is lucky to be alive.

Steve, who is due to celebrate his 38th wedding anniversary with Carol on December 15, said: "We must help catch the people or person who is doing this and put them away before an innocent person is killed.

"If the concrete had struck the car six inches further forward my wife wouldn't be here today. My children could have been carrying our coffins.

"The police can't do this without us, they need our help."

Steve, 56, had been driving the car and suffered minor cuts and bruises in the attack which was the second of its kind on the same day.