A MAN has been charged with the attempted murder of a woman following an incident in Basildon which left her critically ill in hospital.

The 33-year-old woman was injured inside a flat in Osier Drive, Noak Bridge, at around 7:10pm on Thursday August 22 but managed to escape before collapsing in the street outside.

She was taken to Basildon Hospital in a critical condition suffering serious head and facial injuries before being transferred to a hospital in London.

Matthew Sargent, 29, of no fixed address, will appear before magistrates in Southend on Monday, August 26.

Police are continuing to appeal for anyone with information to come forward and are also looking to trace a grey hooded top which may have been discarded in the area of Osier Drive, Willowfield and The Pines.

Anyone with information or who finds the top is urged to contact officers from the Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate at Brentwood on 101 or email scdappeals@essex.pnn.police.uk