A 25-year-old man has appeared before Blackburn magistrates charged with raping a 13-year-old as she walked home from a youth club.

And the magistrates allowed police to hold Michael David Hamer in cells until Wednesday while officers carry out further inquiries.

Hamer, of Walsh Street, Blackburn, is charged with oral rape, and penetrative sexual activity with the girl, who cannot be named for legal reasons.

The offence is alleged to have happened on Saturday, September 21, when she is said to have been dragged into bushes, in Whalley New Road, Blackburn, after being followed from the town centre.