A man has been left scared to work after a fight between a gang armed with baseball bats and a knife spilled into his shop.

An argument between about five men erupted intoa brawl in Rectory Road, Pitsea, at about 7.25pm on Tuesday after half the group brandished baseball bats and wooden clubs.

Following threats, pushes and shoves, one of the group fled into Margaret’s Food and Wine off-licence.

The rest, some wearing balaclavas, crowded around the shop door, with one holding a small knife.

Hasan Ali, 30, who works at the shop, said: “A group of lads were arguing outside and started swearing at each other and getting abusive and angry.

“They started saying things like ‘I am going to do you’.

“Suddenly, they started rushing into each other. They had baseball bats.

“One of them ran inside here.

I think he knew there was CCTV in here. Another bloke started to chase him inside with a knife – he stood at the door with the knife in his hand.

“His face was covered up, so you could only see his eyes.”

After a few minutes, the men ran off and the one from inside the shop followed them.

Mr Ali added: “Over the last two or three weeks, it’s been getting really bad around here.

“Last Wednesday morning, we were broken into and they stole cigarettes worth £18,000.

“Every night there is trouble – it’s scary to work in the shop at night.

“The police need to patrol more around here, especially at night. They should do hourly patrols.”

Eye-witness Michael Ryan, 26, of Cobden Walk, Pitsea, was driving home from work when one of the gang ran out in front of his car. He said: “I nearly ran him over.

“I pulled over and looked in my back mirror and saw one man run into the shop and the others were carrying bats or pieces of wood.

“They wouldn’t go into the shop but were crowded around the door. I think they were arguing over a lady.

“After a few minutes, they walked off. It was pretty frightening.”

A police spokesman said: “We were contacted just after 7.25pm to a fight, involving a knife, in Rectory Road.

“A 20-year-old man and a 29- year-old man, both from Pitsea, were arrested on suspicion of possession of an offensive weapon and witness intimidation following a search by the police helicopter and officers on the ground.

“The men have been released on police bail until November 25.

“The helicopter was searching above Pitsea for about an hour.

“Nobody was injured in the fight.”