A young television actress yesterday urged drivers to be aware of the dangers of carjacking, after she described how she was left battered and traumatised in a violent attack.

Ex-Emmerdale actress Adele Silva, 22, (pictured) suffered a head injury and cuts to her body after she was dragged along the road while attempting to stop a robber stealing her Peugeot 206 convertible.

Half in and half out her car as the man drove off, she was eventually elbowed out on to the road.

No one has been caught and the car has not been found, she said.

It was vital that everyone was aware of the threat of carjacking, she said. At the time of the incident she knew very little about the phenomenon