A schoolgirl's screams of terror could have saved her from the clutches of two abductors, police revealed today.

They believe the nine-year-old's piercing screams led to the kidnappers freeing her just half a mile from where they snatched her.

The girl was pounced on by two men in a black four-door car with no front number plate as she stood outside Bournes Green Junior School in Thorpe Bay.

One man jumped out of the car and grabbed the girl, pulling her into the car which then drove off. A second man was in the car as a passenger.

The girl was driven about half a mile to Burlescoombe Road, Thorpe Bay, but police think her screaming caused them to let her out of the car unharmed.

She then ran back to her school and told staff who immediately called the police.

A spokesman for Essex Police said: "We are looking for the two men and are appealing information from anyone who saw the girl being snatched or let out of the car."