Police are appealing for witnesses after a man was kidnapped in East Ham.

The 58-year-old victim was leaving Kingsway Pharmacy after a visit to his GP on Barking Road to return to his silver Land Rover Freelander that was parked on St Bartholomew’s Road at 1pm.

Two or three men grabbed him and bundled him into the back of the vehicle, driving into Essex along the A13 and the A127.

The car stopped outside Lloyds TSB bank on London Road, Westcliff at 2.30pm where the victim took the opportunity to escape.

It took police around an hour to trace the vehicle to a garage forecourt in Basildon where officers arrested three men and charged them on Thursday September 27.

Det Con Andy Davenport, from the Met’s Specialist Crime Directorate, said: “We have people charged but are still appealing for witnesses to come forward.

“In particular, we would like to talk to customers outside the bank in Westcliff.

“We know there were seven or eight people who saw the victim making his escape and we would appeal for them to please contact us.”

Police describe the victim as white and the suspects as black.

Anyone with any further information about this incident is urged to contact the police on 020 7230 8963 or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.