A 20-YEAR-OLD woman suffered a serious sexual attack while walking in The Groves area of York.

The victim was approached by the stranger who subjected her to a serious sexual assault in a car park off Garden Street.

Yesterday, police appealed for help from the public to piece together what had happened when the attacker struck at about 5pm on Thursday.

A forensic examination of the scene is still going on in the area which remains under police guard and cordoned off.

York CID is conducting house to house inquiries and searching the neighbourhood for clues. They are also studying CCTV footage of the area.

Police patrols have been stepped up to reassure residents and the victim is being supported by specially trained officers.

The attacker is described as a white man, aged 35 to 50, more than 5ft 1ins tall, who has facial hair.