DETECTIVES investigating a sexual assault in Accrington have identified a man they wanted to trace.

Around 6pm on August 25 a 53-year-old woman was walking her dog along a footpath close to the rear of Epping Avenue between Whinney Hill Road and East Crescent.

She walked past a man and on completing a circular walking route, noticed the same man walking towards her. He grabbed her shoulder and forced his hand between her legs.

She shouted at the offender, pushed him off and managed to run away. He ran off in the opposite direction.

Following enquiries, CCTV footage of a man we wanted to locate was released. The man has now been identified and excluded from the investigation.

Det Con Tony Roberts, from East CID, said: “The man in the video has been identified and discounted from our investigation as a suspect.

"We continue to appeal for any information in relation to the original assault."

Anyone with information can call East CID on 01254 353863 or if they fail to get an answer, 101, quoting incident reference 1088 of August 25.

Alternatively, independent charity Crimestoppers can be contacted anonymously on 0800 555 111 or online at crimestoppers-uk.org.