The criminal fled empty-handed after seeing the amount of blood she was losing, eyewitnesses in the town of Vialonga reported

A British woman has been rushed to hospital in Portugal after being stabbed during a bungled street robbery.

The 27-year-old tourist was knifed by a masked mugger in Vialonga, an upcoming tourist destination north of Lisbon.

Local reports said the criminal fled empty-handed after seeing the amount of blood she was losing.

The stabbing occurred just before 7pm on Wednesday.

The victim was assisted at the scene before being taken to Vila Franca de Xira Hospital.

The unnamed Brit, who was with a female friend at the time, is said to have been stabbed in the arm.

No arrests are believed to have taken place so far.

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office says that around 2.5 million British nationals visited Portugal in 2019 and that most visits were trouble-free.

However it warned: “Crime rates are low but pickpocketing, handbag snatching and theft from cars and holiday properties are common in major tourist areas and can be accompanied by violence.

Be especially vigilant on public transport (particularly the popular numbers 15 and 28 trams in Lisbon) and at busy railway and underground stations and crowded bus and tram stops.”