A WOMAN attacked while giving birth suffered a fractured skull, it has emerged.

The Echo revealed yesterday how the 22-year-old was slashed in the face and beaten with baseball bats after masked men burst into her home in Beambridge, Pitsea.

The community was coming to terms with the attack yesterday, as police continued to search for five attackers.

There have also been calls for increased police patrols in the area to reassure the public.

Claire Wateridge, who runs the Rugrats Parent and Toddler Group at the Trenham Centre, in Wilsner, Pitsea, said: “It puts everyone on edge and it is so much worse when you find out the lady was pregnant. Things like this might happen more often than you realise, but when everyone is talking about it, it does tend to worry people more.

“Many people were sharing the story on Facebook and by the time I went to the group in the morning lots of people knew about it.”

Gavin Callaghan, Labour borough councillor for Pitsea North West, said: “People are fearful and that has been consistent since I was elected in 2012. Incidents like this highlight why it is exactly the wrong time to be closing Pitsea police station and taking officers from the streets.

“A few years ago, I would routinely see officers on bicycles around the Chalvedon estate, but you don’t see that any more.

“People are now feeling isolated and vulnerable to attacks, so the best thing to do would be to increase police visibility.”

The attack happened at about 9pm on Monday while the victim’s partner was upstairs collecting her hospital bag.

Her two-year-old child was asleep in bed when the intruders smashed their way in Fortunately, the woman was able to get to Basildon Hospital, where she gave birth to a healthy boy.

Police are appealing for information about the gang, who stole cash and an iPad.

They are in their early-tomid- twenties.

One is white, around 5ft 7in to 5ft 8in tall, of medium build, aged 25 to 30, with dark, cropped hair and a pronounced jawline.

A second is black, around 6ft tall and skinny.

Anyone with information should call Det Insp Joel Henderson, at Basildon CID, on 101.