SOUTHEND’S top policeman has praised good Samaritans who stopped to help a cyclist who was lying in the road after a collision with a car yesterday evening.

District commander Matt Bennett was off duty and driving home with his family when he came across the incident – and saw the quick-thinking by-standers who came to the woman's aid.

A woman, in her forties, had been involved in a collision with a car at Cuckoo Corner, just before 7.30pm.

Mr Bennett said: “We often hear that as a society no one helps each other these days, but this helped show that it is not like that.

“As I drove up to Cuckoo Corner, I saw a car stopped in the middle of the road at the roundabout and a cyclist in the recovery position with about 8-10 members of the public around her.

“I was expecting to have to help close the road and give some first aid myself, but everyone had done the right thing, they had all stopped, the people there had already blocked it off with their cars and were giving first aid.

“You do often get people just driving away from incidents like this unfortunately, but these people were all fantastic yesterday.”

He added: “It was a stark reminder that the overwhelming majority of people in society are good people.”

Paramedics took the cyclist to Southend Hospital for treatment for her injuries, which turned out to be minor.

Were you one of the people involved? Call reporter Ian Weinfass on 01702 321 139.