A MOTHER-OF-FOUR has spoken of her shock and disgust after her two youngest children were allegedly attacked on a Newbridge street by two teenagers armed with a knife.

Clare Hallett, of Llwyn Derwen, Cwmfelinfach said her son Joshua, 11, and daughter, Neeve, ten, were stopped as they walked along Bridge Street in Newbridge by two boys, who demanded money last Tuesday afternoon.

One of the boys is alleged to have held a penknife to her daughter’s throat.

The brother and sister managed to escape back to their father’s house, where they called the police. They had been on their way to Newbridge Leisure Centre to go swimming.

Ms Hallett said her daughter has since suffered nightmares that her brother had been killed by two people wielding a knife.

She said she wanted those responsible to be punished.

“You should never be carrying a knife and you certainly shouldn’t put it to a child’s throat," she said.

“People need to know there are consequences for their actions."

The mum is cared for by her children because she suffers from kidney disease and said the incident has made life more difficult for them to feel safe and help her.

“It is hard for them to run up the shop now," she added. "They are the people who run up (there) for me and it’s difficult to think they don’t want to go out the door.”

Cwmfelinfach Primary School pupil Neeve said: "It is upsetting just to think that someone would do that on the street. I am not sure I’ll want to go out to the leisure centre with my brother again. I have been quite scared.

“I think it will take a while just to get over the fact there are boys that age who can do things like that. It is scary that we could have been the first or the twenty first.”

Joshua, who starts at Cwmcarn High School in September, said he was considering missing football training because of the possibility of being approached by someone he didn’t know.

A Gwent Police spokeswoman said two teenagers had been arrested on suspicion of attempted robbery. They are currently on police bail pending further enquiries.

She said a pocket penknife was seized by officers but no money was handed over. No-one was injured in the confrontation, she added.