A CHAUFFEUR had a lucky escape when two teenage thugs hurled a rock at his car as he drove along the M3.

Robin Shale, 43, was left severely shaken after his windscreen exploded and he had to fight to keep control of his vehicle.

Police are now urging witnesses to come forward to prevent any future attacks.

Mr Shale (pictured) was travelling from his home in South Ham, Basingstoke, to pick up a family at Southampton docks. He was approaching junction nine on the southbound carriage-way of the M3 near Winchester in his metallic blue Mercedes when the incident occurred.

He said: "I noticed up ahead that there were a couple of lads on the verge of the hard shoulder, but I didn't pay any attention because you see a lot of people who have broken down.

"As I got closer I noticed one of them going into a throwing action out of the corner of my eye. It happened so quickly and then my whole windscreen went."

Luckily for Mr Shale, the main impact, which completely shattered the glass in his windscreen, was on the passenger side.

The chauffeur, who drives 80,000 miles a year, managed to pull on to the hard shoulder and saw, in his rear view mirror, the teenagers scrambling up the bank. They rushed for the cover of thick trees at the top of the verge.

Mr Shale said: "It made my heart skip a few beats, that's for sure. You hear so much about these sorts of incidents happening on the M3, but you never think it will happen to you. I feel very lucky.

"It could have been two lads larking about, but this is not a laugh and a joke. If they've done it once, they could do it again. The sooner they are stopped, the better."

The split-second incident meant Mr Shale did not get a good look at the boys but he believes they are white, aged 14 to 16, 5ft 6ins to 5ft 8ins tall, and were wearing black jackets and jeans.

Police are still examining CCTV footage from the incident which took place on Sunday, January 11, just after 10am. Detective Constable Steve Deeprose, of Winchester CID, said: "If anybody saw the incident or saw lads hanging around on the hard shoulder, please get in touch. "We also want to hear from anybody who has experienced a similar incident."

The detective can be contacted at Winchester CID on 0845 045 45 45.