A man has been arrested following reports of a sexual assault in Whitworth.

It was reported that at around 7pm on Wednesday (August 9), a girl was approached by a man outside a shop on Thorburn Drive, who picked up her bike and directed her to a nearby football pitch.

It was there the sexual assault was said to have taken place.

Last week police released CCTV of a man they wanted to speak to as they investigated the reports.

A 26-year-old man from Rochdale has been arrested on suspicion of sexual assault.

Police are still appealing for information.

A police spokesperson said: “Last week we asked for your help identifying a man we wanted to speak to following reports that a girl was sexually assaulted in Whitworth

“It was reported that around 7pm last Wednesday the girl was approached by a man outside a shop on Thorburn Drive who picked up her bike and directed her to a nearby football pitch. It was there the sexual assault took place.

“Following enquiries, a 26-year-old man from Rochdale has been arrested on suspicion of sexual assault.

“Our enquiries are very much ongoing.

“We take reports such as this extremely seriously and we have a dedicated team of officers assigned to this case.”

Anyone with information is asked to email: 4332@lancashire.police.uk or call 101, quoting log 1475 of August 8, 2023.