A young mother feared for the lives of herself and her two-year-old toddler when two robbers held a syringe to her neck as they snatched her handbag.

Rachel Callaghan, 20, was threatened with a syringe down a quiet track in Queensbury after two men came up behind her, pulling her hair and pushing her to the ground with her daughter.

Miss Callaghan, of Hillcrest Avenue, was about to take Levi-Elle to the toilet when the pair leapt on her.

She said: "He said 'give me your bag or you and your baby are gonna get it'. He then put the syringe to my neck. I was panicking for the safety of my baby. I thought I was going to die."

The pair grabbed the bag from the ground and ran towards a row of shops in Medway.

Miss Callaghan, who also has a four-year-old daughter Michealla had been heading to her father's house across the wasteland called Ash Hill, off Ridgeway, between 8.10pm and 8.30pm on Monday when the incident took place. She said: "Everybody uses the route. It's a short-cut. There are lots of snickets and a few garages."

The traumatised mother dashed to her father's house, only a few minutes away, where she was cared for by members of her family.

"I couldn't breathe," she said. "I was panicking and in shock. I was scared."

Councillor Michael Walls (Con, Queensbury) said muggings were quite rare in the area.

He said: "There are lots of little quiet footpaths in the area which people walk through to get to various houses. The same people may attack again so residents must be on their guard."

One of the wanted men is described as white, wearing a white baseball cap, black jeans and black shoes, with a dark scarf over his nose, and thin black wool gloves. He spoke with a local accent.

The second man was wearing trainers and dark tracksuit bottoms with elasticated bottoms. He was described as having thin legs.

Detective Inspector George Marshall, of Bradford North Police, said: "This was a nasty and cowardly attack against a young mother and her child."

Anyone with information should contact Bradford North Police on (01274) 376259 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.