Detectives are appealing for information after a woman was sexually assaulted as she made her way to York railway station in the early hours of this morning.

At around 5.20am the woman was attacked as she walked along Station Road near the gardens of the Principal Hotel when she was grabbed by a man who sexually assaulted her over her clothing.

The man then ran off from the scene through the hotel gardens and along Leeman Road towards the railway bridge.

He is described as white, aged in his early twenties and was wearing a bright blue Puffa-style jacket with the hood up, jogging bottoms and trainers.

Chief Inspector Al Wescott of York police, said: “I appreciate this third incident may cause alarm among the people of York. I would like to reassure members of the public that we are doing all we can to find the suspect, but in the meantime, people should be alert, but not scared. Take safety measures if you are walking alone at night, stay together with friends, stick to well-lit streets and be aware of who is around you. “At this stage it is too early to say if the incident is connected to the sexual assaults reported last week and a man remains in police custody as enquiries into those assaults continue.” Anyone who was in the Station Road area at around 5am to 5.30am this morning and has any information that can assist the investigation, is asked to contact North Yorkshire Police on 101, select option 2 and ask for York Serious Crime Team.

If you wish to remain anonymous you can pass information to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Please quote incident number 12170128098 when passing on information