Schoolgirls were seen on a bridge by a motorist who claims her car was hit by a rock thrown from it.

The shocked driver says she was left with a dent in her car roof after driving along Broadmayne, Basildon.

Carole Edwards, 44, spotted three teenage girls, who were all wearing school uniform, standing on the bridge as she drove home after dropping off her grandaughter in nearby Nightingale Grove.

She heard a loud bang as an object, believed to be a rock, hit her roof and bounced off.

Mrs Edwards said: “I had gone in the fast lane and my husband, who was with me, told me he saw a girl throwing things off the bridge.

“As we passed under it, I heard a big bang on the roof. It didn’t sound as heavy as a brick, but it made a pretty big thump, as if it was a rock. There was a definite crash on the car.

“What is scary is that if it had happened a couple of seconds sooner then it would have gone through my windscreen.

“It’s so dangerous.”

Mrs Edwards, 44, from Billericay, who is a carer, says she continued driving home rather than stop, as the road was busy.

She added: “I am fuming.

“I did want to stop the car, but there was nothing I could do.

“It could have been a lot worse, you just don’t know what will happen.”

Mrs Edwards says she has reported the incident to police and is now urging motorists to drive carefully on the stretch of road to prevent future accidents.

The incident happened at about 3.40pm on Friday.

Anyone with information can call Essex Police on 101, or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.