This is the face of a man being hunted by police after a teenage girl was raped in York.

North Yorkshire Police have just released this e-fit of the man in his 20s who is believed to have carried out the attack between 6.50pm and 8pm on Saturday night.

The 18-year-old victim was walking in a field which links Westfield Place and Grange Lane, in Acomb, when she was approached by the man.

The “extremely shaken” woman was dragged to a spot nearby and attacked. She suffered scratches, cuts and bruises to her face and body during the rape.

Police are today continuing house-to-house enquiries in the hunt for the rapist and carrying out a painstaking search for clues near the scene of the attack which is believed to have happened at a mounded area close to Westfield Primary School.

The attack has left the local community scared and stunned as the attacker remains at large.

As The Press reported yesterday, Jenny Hutchinson, a member of the Chapelfields Residents' Association committee, said it had left the community in “utter shock”.

She said: “We are all deeply shocked and worried by what has happened.

“Things do happen in the Chapelfields area, but nothing as serious as this - the rape of a young girl - has ever happened before.

“Police are knocking door-to-door with a description of the man they are looking for and advising young women and girls not to go out alone. It is deeply distressing and, as a community, obviously nobody feels safe until this man is caught and locked away.

“In the meantime, we are all saddened that something so awful has happened.”

Superintendent Lewis Raw, heading the investigation, said the rape was a “rare” crime in York and said North Yorkshire police were doing all they could to catch the suspect and bring him to justice.

The rapist is white, about 5ft 5in to 5ft 8in tall, with a medium build and dark, cropped hair, thin lips and a rounded chin flecked with stubble. He has a deep voice and a local Yorkshire accent, and was wearing a dark Puffa-style jacket and light trousers.

Witnesses or anyone with information should phone York police on 0845 6060247, quoting reference number 12100027797.

Crimestoppers can also be contacted anonymously on 0800 555 111.