A DISTRAUGHT lorry driver has spoken of her shock after a large piece of tree trunk was hurled at her vehicle in Redditch.

Helen Roberts said her dog Border Terrier Burty, who was sitting the passenger seat, could have died in the smash that covered them both in shards of glass.

The incident took place on Sunday, January 15 at about 12.15pm when two young men were spotted dropping a piece of tree trunk from the Birchfield Road (B4504) overpass on to the A448 Bromsgrove Highway striking a car and van.

Mrs Roberts, who was towing a horse box, spotted a man on the bridge above the highway.

She was almost home after attending a show jumping competition when she saw the man put the log over his head and toss it onto the highway with such force it smashed the window of her lorry and damaged the front of a Seat Toledo Sport car.

Mrs Roberts, who lives near Redditch, said: "It all happened in slow motion.

"I was probably doing 50 as it’s a straight carriage way, I saw a person – young I think -carrying a log behind his head.

"A car swerved and I moved over onto the first lane. He threw it down at the lorry.

"If I had braked hard it could have involved more vehicles.

"My dog was sitting in the passenger seat. With the bang he closed his eyes and glass went in his nose.

"It is so lucky the glass didn’t shatter in his eyes. It’s lucky it didn’t scare the horse.

"Fortunately the windscreen wipers were on and across the screen at the time so this stopped the log coming through the window."

Mrs Roberts had to move her dog, that had cowered on her lap, before carefully pulling over at the side of the road.

Mrs Roberts said despite being a "strong person" who drives every day the incident had shaken her up.

She added: "The police did really calm it down. I was a little distraught."

Mrs Roberts said the damage to the lorry, which included replacing the windscreen and wipers, was not costly as the body was fortunately intact.

A West Mercia Police spokesman said: "We would like to take this opportunity to convey the serious nature and potential to cause significant harm for these types of incidents.

"Throwing or dropping any item from an overpass onto a fast flowing road can cause significant damage to vehicles and to those inside them.

"Thankfully on this occasion no one was injured."

West Mercia Police said two young men were seen to have left the area on foot heading into the Pitcher Oak Woods area.

Officers are urging anyone with information on the identification of the two young men to contact 101 quoting incident number 0268S of January 15.

Alternatively you can contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.