AN elderly motorist was severely shocked when his car was hit by a brick on the M27 at Eastleigh.

The 78-year-old man had just passed under a bridge between junctions 4 and 5 of the motorway at Eastleigh when the missile hit the front of his Ford Focus, cracking the windscreen.

The man was travelling with an elderly woman passenger towards Portsmouth. He told police the brick had "just appeared from nowhere".

An Eastleigh police spokesman said: "Fortunately the screen did not shatter, which enabled the man to maintain control of his vehicle before stopping on the hard shoulder."

Today the police hunt was continuing for the culprits who may have carried out the attack.

Police said that the brick could have been launched deliberately by vandals or might have fallen off the back of a moving vehicle.

Acting Sgt Richard Moody, of Eastleigh police, said: "We need to make sure people are aware that if this was done deliberately then the intent to harm someone was there.

"The driver was very shocked by the incident and concerned about the welfare of his passenger but was able to continue on his journey."

Paul Watters, head of road policy for the AA Motoring Trust, said: "These occurrences are very rare and many bridges have controls to prevent them from happening but it is not something that is easily stopped.

"In terms of possible debris, the motorways are some of the safest roads, with the use of CCTV cameras and the monitoring of the roads.

"The problem is with speed, and any items on the highway can get flipped up in the air by vehicles."

Mr Watters said that not securing lorries with large loads properly before setting out on a journey is a criminal offence.

Eastleigh police would like to hear from any drivers who may have seen the incident, which happened at about 12.40pm on Saturday. Anyone who may have information is asked to call 0845 045 4545.