POLICE are appealing for information after a man was allegedly raped in Darwen on Tuesday.

The incident is believed to have taken place between 6pm and 9pm on Balle Street in the town.

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The victim, a 20-year-old local man, was walking down Balle Street, off the A666 Bolton Road, with headphones on when he was grabbed from behind.

It is believed that three men were involved, with two of the men restraining the victim, whilst one committed the sexual assault.

They have been described as wearing scarves or bandanas over their faces, all aged in their late twenties to early thirties and between 5 feet 7 inches and six feet 2 inches in height.

The incident is being investigated by Lancashire’s Force Major Investigation Team (FMIT), who are asking for information to identify those responsible.

Det Ch Insp Dean Holden said: “I am appealing to anyone who may have seen anything suspicious on Balle Street or the surrounding areas leading up to the attack, particularly if they have seen a group of three men, to come forward and speak to us.

“We have a team of detectives working on this and we are determined to find the men responsible for this frightening attack.

“I would like to reassure the public that incidents of this type are rare and there will be extra police patrols in the area where the attack took place.”

Anyone with information can contact 101 quoting log number LC-20141002-0437.