POLICE have appealed for information following a suspected sexual assault on a woman in her 60s near the Kennet & Avon Canal in Devizes last night.

At around 7.55pm, a woman was walking along the towpath towards the canal bridge at Northgate Street when she was approached from behind by a man who sexually assaulted her.

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The man is described as white, with dark spiky hair and was unshaven. He is described as slim to medium build and approximately 5 ft 6 inches tall. He was wearing a mustard yellow T-shirt.

During the incident, the woman was knocked to the floor. The man then ran off up the steps from the towpath onto Northgate Street.

Det Sgt Neil Le-Maire said: “Any incident of this nature will understandably be concerning for the local community.

"However, I want to reassure members of the public that these types of incidents are rare and we will be conducting increased patrols in the town as a precautionary measure.

“We take reports of this nature extremely seriously and this is no exception.

"We have already commenced swift enquiries in an attempt to find the person responsible.

"Even though the surrounding area would have been reasonably quiet at that time of the evening, people in the area may have seen something or captured something on their car dash cam which they did not realise was significant at the time.

“If you think you may be able to help with our enquiries, please call us on 101 and quote crime reference number 54190092417.”

Alternatively, call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.