A WOMAN has told of her shock after having her car window smashed in a dispute over a parking space.

Charlotte Lincroft, 27, had been reversing into an empty parking space in Preston Street, Brighton, when she claims she was stopped by two men who said they were keeping the bay free for a friend’s car they were expecting to arrive.

Things soon escalated when one of the men allegedly punched out her back window before another knocked a phone out of her hand.

Miss Lincroft, from Hove, said she feared she was going to be attacked in the altercation on Tuesday which happened at about 7pm. She started taking a video to pass to the police.

Speaking to The Argus she said: “We were driving to meet some friends for dinner and it is like gold dust trying to find a parking space on Preston Street.

“So we found a space and started reversing into it, and then these two men came running up to my car and said they were reserving the spot for a car.

“So I said ‘Where is the car then?’ and they said it is ‘coming and stuck in traffic 20 minutes away’.

“I said, sorry, this isn’t how it works, it’s a public road, you don’t reserve parking spots.

“Then at this point he started to scream I’m a b**ch and all this nasty stuff, which made me more adamant to have the space. It was holding up the traffic and everyone was beeping.

“An argument then started, and my friends walked down the road and one of them got so irate. He started punching my car up with his fists, then he proceeded to smash my window.”

After allegedly smashing the back window of her Audi convertible, Miss Lincroft, a dog groomer, said the man then fled the scene.

She then attempted to take a picture of the incident to give to the police.

What happened next was captured on video she took.

In the shocking footage a man says “if you put that phone in my face, it is gone” before knocking it out of her hand.

She said: “My instinct kicked in and I wanted to get his face on camera. I walked after the friend and he took a full swing at me and then I ran off.

"It was a blur. I felt really let down police as they never came out, I was so scared. I was apprehensive about putting it on social media, but thought they would get away with it otherwise. "I’ve had trouble sleeping since.”

Sussex Police investigating the allegations have appealed for witnesses. A spokesman said: “At 7.08pm on Tuesday we received a report that following a verbal dispute over a parking space in Preston Street between a woman and two men, one of the men smashed the rear window of her car with his hand and both men had then run off.

"Descriptions were circulated to patrolling officers but the men were not traced. Anyone with information can contact police online at sussex.police.uk/appealresponse or by calling 101.”