A woman was forced to fight off an offender following an attempted rape in Stevenage.

The incident occurred between 3.30pm and 4.30pm yesterday (Sunday, February 18) at the electricity substation between Osprey Gardens and Lapwing Rise.

It is reported that the woman was grabbed from behind by a man who pushed her to the floor. Thankfully she managed to fight him off and he fled the scene, heading towards the footbridge that connects to Dean Lane.

The suspect is described as white, 5ft 5ins tall, of slim build, in his 30s, with short light blonde hair. He was wearing a light grey tracksuit and matching hoodie.

"I am appealing for anyone who was in the area around the time to consider if they saw anything that could help out enquiries," said Detective Sergeant Jonathan Green from the constabulary’s Sexual Offences Investigation Team.

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"If you were walking in the area and believe you saw a man matching the description, please get in touch.

"Additionally, if you live in the area and have a doorbell camera or have a vehicle with a dash cam that was parked nearby, please check this as it could contain vital information.

"Finally, I would like to reassure the community that we are doing everything we can to find the suspect. Incidents of this nature are very unusual and we are increasing police patrols while the investigation is ongoing."

You can email Detective Sergeant Green to report any information via Jonathan.green@herts.police.uk.

You can report information online at herts.police.uk/report, via online web chat at herts.police.uk/contact, or by calling the non-emergency number 101, quoting crime reference 41/14026/24.

Alternatively, contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or online at crimestoppers-uk.org.