A 21-year-old Selhurst model who was left battered and bruised after an attack by two young knife-wielding girl robbers is warning other women to be on their guard.

Naomi Donald, a student at Royal Holloway University, said she believes the attackers may have been part of a girl gang and that others may be at risk.

Naomi had just left her mother's house at around 7pm last Friday and was walking along Newhaven Road towards Holmesdale Road when she heard someone running behind her. Two girls then jumped on her from behind and pushed her to the floor.

Naomi thinks the girls were no more than 15 or 16-years-old.

"They were kicking and punching me and every time I tried to get up they pushed me back down," she said, "Then they kicked me in the face."

According to Naomi, a woman in one of the nearby houses saw the attack but went back inside after one of the attackers told her that their victim was a girl from school and had stolen from them.

Naomi, who used to work in youth development with girls of a similar age, added: "I am 5ft 10in and do not look like a school girl, I was clearly not the same age as them. It was really scary and just not something that I would expect to happen around here."

Naomi was taken to hospital where she spent five hours in accident and emergency and is now suffering from whiplash and cuts and bruises.

She added: "The girls were not even that strong, it was just the element of shock and surprise that they jumped me from behind that they had the upper hand over me, and the fact that there was two of them."

However Naomi does not believe that this was an opportunist attack and says that there was a very similar attack in the same area recently.

She explains: "They knew what they were doing, they knew how to attack. I definitely think that they had either done it before or they had been taught how to do it."

As a result of the attack Naomi has had to miss modelling jobs, cancel her driving test and delay her return to start her second year of university.

The attackers stole her mobile phone and car keys to a new car which she only picked up on Friday morning.

She is still in shock and said: "It was awful really, I have never really heard of girls attacking girls before - not like this."

The first girl was described as black, slim build with a long face and soft afro hair pulled back into a puff at the back. She was thought to be around 15 years old and was wearing a black track suit and black Nike trainers.

The second is described as mixed race, with light brown hair, with a red tinge, pulled back in the same way off her face. She was also thought to be about 15 and was wearing tight jeans and a cream baggy t-shirt with a baby blue pattern.

The knife that the girls were carrying was said to be a three inch blade with a silver handle.

Call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.