A WOMAN was abducted from a Hampshire road, bundled into a car and taken on a terrifying 25-minute journey blindfolded before being dumped.

The 23-year-old kicked and screamed as a man got out of a car, grabbed her by her hair and forced her into the back seat of the vehicle in Empress Road, Southampton.

Up to four other men were inside the car during the ordeal in which they covered her eyes and threatened to kill her as she struggled to break free.

Eventually she was kicked out of the car at the side of a busy road more than eight miles away in Otterbourne, near Winchester.

Detectives, who have today launched a major hunt for her abductors, say the girl made desperate attempts to stop passing cars but nobody pulled over.

She was able to raise the alarm after knocking at three nearby houses where a resident called the police.

Officers had already been put on full alert after witnesses heard her screams for help as she was forced into the car.

DC Keith Bailey, from Bitterne CID is leading the inquiry. He said: "This was a brutal attack. She couldn't see where she was being taken. She had her eyes covered purposely.

"The fear has certainly been put into her. She was taken on an horrific journey during which they said they were going to kill her."

He added: "We had already received reports that a woman had been taken from witnesses who heard her screams. Initially we were trying to establish who it was who had been taken.

"We are very keen to find out who did this, especially because of the gravity of the violence used."

The woman, who lives in Southampton, is today being comforted by friends after the ordeal on Friday night, which began at about 9.25pm. She initially refused hospital treatment but may still need medical attention as she had particularly nasty cuts and bruises say police.

The men are all described as white and made the threats to kill the woman in English.

The car is said to be dark in colour.

Anyone who saw anything suspicious, particularly the car or the woman in either Empress Road or travelling towards or in Otterbourne, is asked to call Bitterne CID on 0845 045 4545 or the anonymous Crimestoppers line on 0800 555 111.