A CAR owner was left with an unpleasant Christmas Day surprise after their car was written off in a crash.

The incident which saw the car severely damaged occurred in Alexandra Road, Harwich, with the victim’s parked car being hit and the culprit speeding off.

At around 4.30pm, the driver was caught on film reversing their car into the victim’s vehicle leaving their tail lights smashed and rear bumper damaged.

As a result, the victim’s car has been written off meaning a day that was meant to be filled with joy has been dreadful.

CCTV footage shows other drivers passing by who were witnesses to the incident and the victim is now calling on them to step forward.

The footage was captured from a nearby street which has a level crossing.

The victim, who would like to remain anonymous, said: “Hopefully the drivers who witnessed it will come forward also.

“If possible I’d like to get access to another angle of the CCTV footage at the level crossing so I can get to the bottom of this.

“This person has done significant damage to my car and the matter has been reported to the police.

“Any more information provided would be great, this is not a good ending to what was a great Christmas.”

The area seems to be a hot spot for crashes as another resident spoke of an incident involving her vehicle that happened last year.

She said: “My car was written off in the same location last year by a lorry, I won’t park there anymore.

“It’s ridiculous, it’s either someone will always pull out too fast or reverse to avoid the railway crossing.”

The Christmas Day incident has been reported to Essex Police who are working on a statement to provide an update on the situation.

Regarding reporting an issue as a victim or witness, a spokesman for Essex Police said: “If you’ve witnessed or been the victim of crime please report it to us

“Reports are dealt with by our control room in exactly the same way whether you report it online or call 101.”