A TEENAGE girl has been sexually assaulted by a man while walking through a 'well-used' tunnel in Andover.

According to police, it has been reported that a 16-year-old girl was approached by a man she did not know as she walked along the path that runs behind the commercial units in River Way, near the Enham Arch roundabout.

As she got to the tunnel between the units and the river, the man grabbed her arm and forced her to touch him. The girl was able to break free and run away.

The incident happened between 4pm and 4.30pm on Monday, January 16.

The girl did not receive serious injuries and the incident was reported to the police later that evening.

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Police are now appealing for witnesses to come forward as part of their investigation.

The man has been described as white, about 6ft 1ins tall, of skinny build, aged in his late teens/early 20s, having a deep voice with a local accent and wearing a black hooded top, with a front pouch and two drawstrings with metal on the ends, and black loose-fitting straight-legged jeans.

Detective Inspector Mike Higgins said: “We know this is a concerning incident and an investigation is underway to establish exactly what took place.

“This is a well-used path and we know other people were there at around this time.

“Were you there? Did you see what happened? Or did you see a man matching the description given?

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“Please contact us if you have any information that could help the officers investigating this incident.

“Officers are carrying out high-visibility patrols in this area, so if you see them and have concerns, please speak to them.”

Anyone with information on this incident can contact police on 101, quoting the reference number 44230021013.

You can contact the police online at hampshire.police.uk.

Alternatively, you can call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.