A PREGNANT woman was slapped in the face during a road rage attack.

The woman from Brightlingsea, who does not wish to be named, said she was on her way to Asda in Petrolea Close, Colchester, when the driver in front of her slammed on his brakes.

The woman, who has a five-year- old son and who is 39 weeks pregnant, was at the mini roundabout just before the petrol station when the fracas broke out.

She said she let the driver go in front of her.

She said: “He had been waving his hands around at the traffic lights after I told him to go ahead and gave way to him.

“He jumped out his car and shouted at me. Then he went back to his car started to move off, then slammed on his brakes again and my car tapped his.

“He was already shouting abuse before he got to my car, bearing in mind my five-year-old son was in the front of my car with me and I’m due to give birth this week.”

She began to reverse and go around him as she was scared of what he would do and said her son became hysterical.

She said: “The next minute he put his hand through my car window and slapped me around the face.

“He ripped my keys out the ignition and walked off back to his car with them.

“The whole time my son and I were crying.

“I was shouting ‘I’m pregnant, give me my keys back, look what you’ve done to my son’.”

The man threw the keys back into the car after about ten min - utes.

The mum, 22, said: “I hurried to start the car and drove off the other way, shaking and in shock. I phoned police as soon as I got back.”

The victim added: “There were no witnesses supposedly, regardless of queues of traffic in both directions.”

The woman said she is due to have a Caesarean section delivery of her baby in a few days.

She said she was not left with any injuries but was shaken and scared by the incident.

She said: “My face just stung but ever since the incident my son won’t go in the car with me and has been withdrawn and quiet.”

She added: “It still feels so surreal now, like it never happened.

“I’m always on edge looking out for that man’s car.”

Police confirmed they were investigating the assault and said inquiries were on-going.

No arrests have been made so far.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Colchester police station on 101.