Chief Inspector Nick Morris appeals for information following concrete dropped from bridge

Dec 02, 2011, 04:38 PM

Detectives are appealing for information after two people were injured when blocks of concrete were dropped from bridges on to cars on the A12 in two separate incidents.

Police are treating the incidents, which happened near Chelmsford, as attempted murder.

A 57-year-old woman suffered multiple rib and facial fractures when a concrete block smashed through the windscreen of the Nissan Ntec car in which she was travelling as it passed under the West Hanningfield Road bridge just after 10pm on Thursday, December 1, 2011.

She is in Broomfield Hospital in a serious but stable condition. The driver of the car, her 56-year-old husband, suffered cuts.

The couple were returning to their home in Harold Hill after visiting friends. In the other incident, which happened on the same day, a concrete block smashed the windscreen of a Vauxhall Astra car travelling under the Fryerning Lane bridge at about 9.25pm. The driver, a 26-year-old woman, and passenger, her 48-year-old mother, were unharmed but badly shaken.

Detectives are linking both incidents and treating them as attempted murder.

Anyone who saw any vehicles or pedestrians acting suspiciously on the bridges at the times of the incidents should contact the serious crime team at Braintree police station on 101.