A mum-of-four has become a prisoner in her own home after she was the victim of a vicious late-night attack just yards away from it.

Michelle Yearham told today how she has been unable to go outside on her own since the incident four weeks ago and is now having to see a counsellor for help.

Mrs Yearham, 38, of Queen's Road, Bedlington Station, was left unconscious with a badly gashed face and severe bruising.

She has not been able to return to her job as a catering assistant at Whitehouse Farm, Stannington, and is suffering from regular nightmares.

She said: "I still have not been out of the house on my own. It is just too traumatic to go outside on my own not knowing who it was that did it.

"I am off work indefinitely and I need to see a counsellor before I go back.

"It makes it worse knowing that I will probably come across the person who did this to me when I do go out. Not knowing who did it is driving me crazy. It has taken over my life.

"I have had to put my life on hold for some idiot looking for a quick fix. I was a strong person until this happened to me. It has left me feeling so insecure.

"Now I get a sort of panic attack. Before this I was very outgoing and bubbly.

"I always thought it would never happen to me but it did."

Mrs Yearham has only been out twice socially since she was attacked. Each time she was driven to her destination and picked up afterwards by friends or family.

Thieves pounced on her as she was walking through an alley on her way home from the nearby Clayton Arms shortly before 12.30am on Saturday, February 25. She was briefly knocked unconscious and when she came round she found the contents of her handbag strewn along the path.

Less than an hour later another Queen's Road resident who had been drinking in the same pub, 40-year-old Paul Wood, was attacked and robbed of four cans of lager.

His attackers left him unconscious with a broken jaw, cheekbone and fractured ribs. Police said they wanted to talk to two males, one who was wearing a light hooded top and another wearing a dark hooded top.

Residents in the area are worried but police say there is no increased risk of attacks. They are keeping an open mind about whether the two assaults were carried out by the same robbers.

Detective Sergeant Peter Jeffrey, of Bedlington CID, said: "These two incidents have caused a lot of concern among residents, but there is no increased risk of attacks in the Bedlington Station area, although we continue to keep an open mind about whether these two attacks were linked."

He also urged residents to be vigilant and report anything suspicious to police.

Anyone with information about either incident is asked to contact Bedlington CID on (01661) 872 555, ext 63545.