Moment masked thugs armed with MACHETES fight in Southend, targeting a car before it drives away - as police arrest man, 32, from Coventry

Masked thugs armed with machetes have been recorded attempting to slash a car driver in front of stunned onlookers in Southend.

Shocking mobile phone footage shows the crazy scenes take place just after midnight in the seaside town, which saw one man suffer injuries which required hospital treatment.

Essex Police say they have established a group of individuals had been involved in a fight, with a number of weapons seen.

A man has since been arrested after officers arrived on the scene 10 minutes after the altercation took place and an investigation into the assault has now begun.

The video shows two men in balaclavas, one dressed in an all-grey tracksuit and the other in an all-blue, lurking behind a blue car parked on a side road, which has the driver inside.

Shocking mobile phone footage shows Masked thugs armed with machetes attempt to slash a car driver 

The video shows two men in balaclavas, one dressed in an all-grey tracksuit and the other in an all-blue, carrying the knives as they lurk behind a blue car which is parked on a side road

The driver is seen to exit the vehicle and walks towards the two men with what appears to be a weapon. 

As he approaches, the thug in grey pulls out a machete from his trousers, but this does not stop the man from moving forward and swinging the object at him.

After missing his target, the driver then moves towards the masked man wearing black and attempts to do the same thing, but misses again.

The two men can then be seen attempting to knife the driver, as he retreats into his car as more people seemingly join the two thugs and help destroy the vehicle.

The vehicle’s windows can then be heard being smashed as shocked onlookers scream for the thugs to stop.

The man in grey is seen taking a number of swipes at the driver’s window with his machete before he eventually drives down the road and out of sight.

The men appear to flee in the other direction down the main road, but the car then re-appears out of the side road and attempts to run them over before pulling away at the last second.

As the car drives off into the distance, the thugs can be seen chasing after it.

Throughout the video, people can be heard shouting: oh s*** and f****** hell, with one stunned man turning to another onlooker and saying: Did you see that knife?

The driver is seen exiting the vehicle and walks towards the two men with what appears to be a weapon 

As the car driver approaches, the thug in grey pulls out a machete from his trousers, but this does not stop the man from moving forward and swinging the object at him

The two men can then be seen attempting to knife the driver, as he retreats into his car as more people seemingly join the two thugs and help destroy the vehicle

Police say one man suffered injuries and received hospital treatment, though his injuries are not life-threatening or life-changing.

After arriving at the scene, officers arrested a man, 32, from Coventry, on suspicion of affray. He remains in custody for questioning.

The force says its enquiries are ongoing around Southend today and will continue to maintain a visible presence in the area.

Specialist officers within the Serious Crime Directorate will be leading the investigation and officers will be conducting patrols throughout the coming days.

Anyone with information is asked by the police to come forward as soon as possible.

Chief Inspector Paul Hogben said: I would ask anyone who may have information about this incident, or concerns, to please get in touch with us as soon as possible.

We take incidents of this nature very seriously and the Southend community can expect a robust response and investigation.

We have a dedicated team conducting the investigation into this incident and we will issue updates as we progress.