A woman has been left housebound in fear after she was allegedly punched unconscious and robbed by a taxi driver following a night out in Watford.

Having got into a taxi with a male friend, the driver was reportedly acting “erratically” after hearing they needed to withdraw cash to pay.

He then drove to Tesco Express in St Albans Road and the pair got out.

The victim said: “Then he got out of the taxi and he started getting really angry saying ‘hurry up, hurry up’, and we were like we just need to get our cards out – we’d literally just got out.

“Then I turned around and he grabbed me and punched me, and he knocked me out.”

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Watford Observer: The victim's eye after allegedly being punched unconscious. The victim's eye after allegedly being punched unconscious.

The victim regained consciousness after several seconds, but the man had allegedly rummaged through her bag and taken her phone.

She continued: “Because of the way he’d been acting I’d started to film him because I thought this is ridiculous, I just had this feeling he was going to do something.

“So then he took my phone, but he left me with my bag and I had a really expensive bag with me.

“So it wasn’t because he was trying to get money, I think he was panicking thinking now she’s got footage of this.”

The woman’s friend ran to her aid, along with a woman from flats above, while the driver got back in the car and drove off.

Watford Observer: Another shot of the victim's injury.Another shot of the victim's injury.

Police were called and the victim was taken to a nearby friend’s home who then rushed her to Watford General Hospital.

Following the attack at around 4am on Sunday, July 31, the woman claims police still haven’t contacted her for details four days later.

A Herts Police spokesperson confirmed they received calls about the robbery and an investigation is ongoing. No one has been arrested.

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On Thursday, the 26-year-old victim revisited the spot and confirmed it was totally covered by CCTV – so she is unsure why there has been a delay.

She continued: “I’ve not been able to leave the house other than to go to hospital because I’ve been too scared.

“But I’ve noticed that all around here there are a lot of flats, there are a lot of people who have Ring doorbells, and there’s so much CCTV.

“Obviously it would be good if someone could say ‘oh yeah I saw it’ or ‘I’ve got a camera’.”

Watford Observer: The victim's phone showing on the Find My iPhone app as being by the Grand Union Canal hours after it was taken. The victim's phone showing on the Find My iPhone app as being by the Grand Union Canal hours after it was taken.

The woman from St Albans, who works as a civil servant, used the Find My iPhone app several hours later which appeared to show her phone by the Grand Union Canal.

She said the whole ordeal has left her traumatised, adding: “When I’m going outside I’m panicking and getting really hot and cold.

“It’s made me really nervous to be around people now because I’m thinking you don’t know what people are like.

“I’m off work at the moment because I work in London and the thought of going into London is terrifying and it’s just left me in quite a bad state.”

She also wanted to warn others to be wary ahead of the weekend.

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