Jo Conlon (pictured with her husband on her wedding day) was the victim of a knife attack yesterday in Streatham Hill, South London

A mother screamed 'I've been stabbed' after she was knifed in the back in an unprovoked attack while pushing her child in a pram.

Josephine Conlon, 36, was seen bleeding from her face after being stabbed three times outside a block of flats in Streatham Hill, South London, at about 5.30pm yesterday.

Her attacker, described as a 6ft black man in dark clothing, is believed to have laid in wait for her and said nothing as he attacked her - before running off down the leafy suburban street.

Witnesses said Mrs Conlon, who is a marketing manager for McDonald's, was left with blood 'pouring down her face' and hunched over her pushchair, but her child was not injured.

A neighbour claimed the attacker may have been trying to steal her phone - which was found on the floor a short distance away 'covered in blood' - as she had been using it at the time.

Her father-in-law today told MailOnline Mrs Conlon is still in hospital but 'doing well'. He had been visiting his daughter and her husband from his home in Australia when the attack happened.

Mrs Conlon, who studied at Durham and Kingston universities, married her husband - a financial controller for a top London communications agency - in 2016.

Mrs Conlon, 36, was stabbed in the back three times after her attacker laid in wait for her

She also previously worked as a marketing assistant for Miller Insurance Services and an account executive and manager for communications agency Billington Cartmell.

A neighbour today claimed the knifeman lay in wait before the attack. She said: 'My husband was among the first people to help her when she started screaming.

'She thinks that the knifeman had been waiting behind the wall or a bush where there's a driveway into a block of flats.

** Did you witness the attack? Please email mark.duell@mailonline.co.uk or tips@dailymail.com, or call 020 3615 1838 ** Advertisement

'He jumped out on her suddenly as she walked down the road with her baby. I think he was trying to steal her mobile because she was on the phone talking to someone at the time.

'The phone was found on the floor a short distance away covered in blood so maybe the thief had dropped it when he ran off. The stabbed woman's husband arrived really quickly as they only live about 150 metres (500ft) away.'

A 66-year-old neighbour added: 'I was going out to the shops when I heard a woman scream. I ran out and she was standing hunched over slightly leaning on her pushchair.

Mrs Conlon was attacked outside this block of flats in Streatham Hill, South London

'She said ''I've been attacked, I've been attacked'' and looked really shocked and frightened. I was the first to reach her and called the police right away.

'As I was doing so other people came out to see if the woman was OK and I heard her tell them that she'd been mugged.

'At first she'd not looked too badly hurt but eventually blood began pouring down her face. I didn't know at the time that she'd actually been stabbed from behind. She was with a child of about two who didn't seem too distressed thankfully.

'Apparently she'd tried to call her husband straight after she was attacked but couldn't get through so rang a friend to let him know what happened.

'The husband arrived a few minutes later closely followed by the police. It was a really horrible attack. I hope she makes a full recovery.'

The attack happened on this road in Streatham Hill at about 5.30pm yesterday (file image)

Another resident said: 'I didn't see anything, just heard a woman screaming downstairs ''I've been stabbed''. It was early evening yesterday. I hope she's OK.'

Officers from the South Area criminal investigation department are said to be carrying out 'extensive enquiries', including forensic work and CCTV analysis.

Police said this morning that detectives 'retain an open mind as to any motive', adding that there had been no arrests and the investigation continues.

Officers described the suspect as a 'black man, around 6ft tall and wearing dark clothing'. They said the woman's injuries were not life-threatening or life-changing.

London bus route P13 had to be diverted, with buses not stopping between Downton Avenue / Streatham Hill and Lanercost Road, and Palace Road and Emsworth Street.

Downton Avenue is a prized street near Streatham Hill train station with an average property value of £773,000 - 37 per cent above the SW2 average of £565,000.

The road is also known locally for suffering severe damage during the Second World War when it was hit by a V1 bomb on June 18, 1944, which resulted in five deaths.

The blast saw ten houses demolished and a further 17 severely damaged, with a number of the properties rebuilt to match their undamaged counterparts.

** Did you witness the attack? Please email mark.duell@mailonline.co.uk or tips@dailymail.com, or call 020 3615 1838 **