A 31-YEAR-OLD woman was sexually assaulted by two men in the street after an attempted robbery.

The woman was walking along Thompson Street in Padiham when she was approached by two men, at around 1am yesterday.

The pair attempted to grab her handbag before sexually assaulting her.

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Both men, described as wearing dark clothing with their hoods up, were distracted by a dog barking in the area.

They ran off towards Abingdon Road.

Det Sgt Paul Barlow, of Burnley CID, said: “We are seeking witnesses following an attempted robbery and sexual assault in Padiham.

“We want to establish the full circumstances of the incident in order to identify the men involved and prevent further offences.

“I would like to stress we are treating this as an isolated attack and want to reassure people crimes of this nature are rare.”

Anyone with information is asked to contact police on 101 quoting log reference 0060 of January 4.