Police were today continuing to search a beauty spot where a woman was raped at knifepoint.

They say the 37-year-old Harrogate woman is severely distressed.

Police said the rapist was aged between 25-30, white, around 5ft 10in, of athletic build, with tight, curly fair hair, and blue eyes, wearing pale grey tracksuit bottoms, a white T-shirt and white trainers.

Detectives are now keen to contact the driver of a blue delivery van painted with the words "marble fireplaces" spotted near to the scene. They also want to talk to anyone else in the area between 10am and noon yesterday.

The attack which happened as the woman walked her dog near Drury Lane, at the rear of Pannal Golf Club, on the outskirts of the town.

It follows the rape of a 30-year-old woman in Scarborough early on Sunday, which police say could be linked to another rape in the seaside resort three weeks ago.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.