A TAXI driver is being hunted after he sexually assaulted a woman in the back of his black cab in Prestwich.

The "horrendous" attack happened at 1am on Saturday (March 10) in a quiet cul-de-sac close to Heaton Park in Prestwich.

According to police the victim, a 37-year-old woman from Prestwich, was locked in the back of the hackney cab and indecently assaulted before she managed to force open a door and escape.

She is said to be very distressed by the attack.

Detectives now met with bosses of taxi cab companies in Bury town centre in a bid to trace the attacker who was described as a bearded Asian male.

The woman and a female friend hailed the taxi outside the Chicago Rock Cafe in Haymarket Street, Bury, and told the driver to go to an address off Bury Old Road in Prestwich. On route, the victim's companion was dropped off at her home and the woman continued on the journey on her own. As the cab pulled into her home street, the driver stopped the tax, locked the doors and climbed into the rear of the vehicle to assault the woman.

Detective Sergeant Lynn Vernon of Whitefield CID, who is leading the hunt for the attacker, said: "This is a horrendous assault and we are keen to hear from anyone who saw two women get into a black cab outside the Bury pub.

"In the meantime, my advice is for lone females to try and share taxis and only get into those bearing the council licence plates and driver identification cards.

"We believe the vehicle used in this attack did not have either."

The driver was in his late 30s or early 40s, with short black, wavy hair. He was wearing a light coloured shirt.

Anyone with any information about the driver or the indecent assault should contact Whitefield CID on 0161 856 8248.