A LONE female driver was left terrified after a gang of up to 30 thugs jumped her car, subjecting her to a torrent of abuse and threats.

The hoodlums, all believed to be aged about 20, jumped out of the darkness to surround the woman’s car as she drove in Owengate, near Durham Cathedral, Durham City, late on Monday night.

They banged on the car’s windows and at least one tried to get into the car, leaving her shocked and scared.

The woman escaped by forcefully driving her way through the gang to safety.

The incident, which happened shortly after 10pm, was reported to Durham Police by a witness, who said the victim was a young woman of Asian appearance.

The witness, who asked not to be named, said the “deplorable”

stunt happened twice on Monday night and has been repeated at least five times since October.

An email seen by The Northern Echo suggests there were three separate incidents on Wednesday, October 12.

A Durham Police spokeswoman said that an incident was reported on Monday night, but there was no suggestion of it being an attempted car-jacking.

Sergeant Steve Norris, of Durham Police, urged anyone who had been a victim of such behaviour to come forward.

He said: “We are not aware of this being a major problem.

However, if information suggests otherwise, we will take action to stamp it out.

“If anyone has experience of this type of behaviour, they can contact me directly.”

The incident happened in an area slightly removed from Durham’s main nightlife spots and mostly populated by Durham University students.

However, Durham Police was unable to say whether those responsible were students or not.

In an internal email, students have been urged to treat Durham and its residents with courtesy.

No arrests have been made following Monday night’s attack, but an investigation has been launched and inquiries are ongoing. Anyone with information is asked to call Durham Police on 0345-60-60- 365 or the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800-555-111.