A man was reportedly hit over the head with a weapon in a car-jacking in an Asda car park.

The victim had been sitting in an Audi A3 outside the supermarket in Greenhithe, near Dartford, when a man approached and smashed one of the windows at around 5.20pm yesterday.

The suspect is alleged to have struck the victim with a weapon before stealing the Audi and driving away.

Police quickly located car and established it had travelled in the direction of the Dartford Crossing.

It was tracked to a location close to junction 30 of the M25 at Thurrock, where it had been involved in a collision.

At around 6pm, a 27-year-old man, of no fixed address, was arrested and taken into custody with assistance from Essex Police.

The victim was taken to hospital and treated for head and facial injuries. These were not life threatening.

Last night officers could be seen standing guard at the Crossways Boulevard store, where broken glass was visible in the car park.

One resident described the series of events as "absolutely horrific".

A spokesman for Asda said: "We are aware of the incident and are assisting the police with their inquiries."