POLICE have praised two have-a-go-heroes for saving a woman who was being atttacked and dragged into woodland.

Officers were called to Mersea Road, Colchester, after receving reports a woman was being assaulted. When they arrived, they found twomen had managed to rescue her and the attacker had fled.

Mark Plumb, 46, and Richard Horlock, 26, were driving by when they spotted the assault taking place. The landscape maintenance workers, who work for Morgan & Co, in Colchester, were on their way to a job when they realised what was happening.

Mark said: “We saw the lady get knocked and hustled to the ground. We turned around and by the time we got back, he had dragged her into the woodland.

“We rushed over to help, punched him and he ran away.”

The pair stayed with the grateful victim until police arrived.

Mark added: “It would have been on my conscience if we hadn’t stepped in. I could have read in the paper someone had been put in hospital or worse, killed, and you act on instinct when it comes to this sort of thing.”

The pair’s boss, Kim Morgan, expressed his pride at their actions. He said: “They did the right thing and deserve credit.

“They didn’t just ignore it, but got involved and helped.

“These are the people you want working for you. They saw someone in trouble, they did well and I am pleased they did it.”

An Essex Police spokesman said: “We were called at about 3.45pm on Thursday, October 10.

Detectives would like to applaud the involvement of the members of the public who may have preventedamore serious assault. We continue to establish a motive for the incident. The victim has declined to give a statement.”