A 14-year-old girl has reportedly been raped in Stevenage.

The alleged incident occurred at approximately 11:30pm on Thursday (July 14), in Broadwater Crescent.

The victim was walking past the Man In The Moon pub, when it was reported that an unknown man approached and sexually assaulted her.

She is now being supported by specially trained officers from Hertfordshire Police.

Detective inspector Michael Macbeth said: "I understand this will be hugely concerning to the local community, and I would like to reassure you that we are conducting extensive enquiries in order to identify the offender.

“The suspect was described as being of slim build, and around 5ft 9ins tall.

"He was said to have short brown hair and stubble, and was wearing grey Nike joggers, a black zipped up hoodie and white Nike trainers.

“If you believe you saw someone matching that description in the area around the time specified, please get in contact.

"If you were driving in the area around the time of the incident and have a dash cam, please check it and get in contact if you spot something that might help.

“Alternatively, if you have any information, please get in touch with police as soon as possible.

"Even something that may seem relatively minor or insignificant could be vital to our investigation.”

Information can be reported online or by calling the police's non-emergency number 101, quoting crime reference 41/56457/22.

Anonymous information can be reported by contacting the Crimestoppers charity on 0800 555 111.