A WOMAN was attacked, bound and gagged by masked robbers who broke into her New Forest home this morning.

The woman was asleep when two intruders burst into the bedroom of her cottage in Emery Down near Lyndhurst at about 8am.

The men - whose faces were hidden by balaclavas - attacked the woman as she lay in bed, hitting her around the face and body before tying her up.

She told police it took her 30 minutes to free herself from her bonds and she rushed downstairs to raise the alarm.

But by then the robbers were gone, and the woman - who police say is in her late 40s - hurt herself by tripping on the stairs.

Despite suffering from shock and minor injuries, she managed to put a call through to the police at 8.45 this morning.

She is now being treated in Southampton General Hospital, and police officers are still at her cottage trying to find a motive for the attack, and assess whether anything was stolen.

This morning scenes-of-crime officers were looking for clues and a county-wide alert was put out following the terrifying incident.

Anyone who might have seen two men acting in a suspicious manner in the Emery Down area at around 8am this morning is asked to contact police on 0845 045 45 45.