An artist has described how he was attacked by a silent knife-wielding man who emerged from a wooded area.

David Augustine, of Montalt Road in Woodford Green, was walking home from Highams Park station on Sunday at 6.15pm when the terrifying incident happened.

As he passed Highams Park Lake in Charter Road, he spotted something out of the corner of his eye.

He said: "He was waiting in the bushes ready to strike.

"I turned around and he was running towards me with a knife in his hand. 

"As he approached me, I held up my hands and shouted ‘oi’. 

"He lunged towards me and I jumped back.

"He didn’t utter a word. It was very chaotic and disturbing - it was like a blitz attack."

The 46-year-old said the man appeared to be in "two minds" as though his reaction had "stunned him."

The two men were then caught in a stand-off, with the attacker jumping up and down in front of him, saying nothing.

The attacker then ran back across the road and off into the forest, which leads through to Oak Hill. 

Moments later, Mr Augustine warned two dog walkers and two teenage girls to be on their guard. 

He added: "It was a terrifying near-death encounter. I felt extremely lucky. 

"If it was anyone else and they didn’t see him, they would not have stood a chance."

The man is described as white, in his early 20s and wearing jeans, black trainers with white soles and a black bomber-style jacket. 

He was around 5ft 9ins, of slim build and the bottom half of his face was covered with a scarf. 

Police arrived at the scene shortly afterwards and a dog unit was called in to search for the attacker, but he was not found.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Waltham Forest police on 101 or to call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.