A YOUNG woman has been left severely traumatised after she was raped when walking home after a night out.

The 20-year-old victim was attacked after she left her local pub and made her way along Linthorpe Road, Middlesbrough, before turning into Gresham Road at about midnight on Easter Monday.

At the junction of Romley Street or Athol Street, she was grabbed by a man, who spoke to her in broken English, where he carried out the serious sexual assault before fleeing.

Detectives are studying security camera footage as they attempt to piece together details of the attack, and are carrying out house-to-house inquiries in the area.

The woman was able to make her way home where her flatmate raised the alarm.

The man in charge of the hunt for the rapist, Detective Sergeant Paul Richardson, said: "This was a terrible end to a night out for this young woman. She has been left severely traumatised by her ordeal.

"To get all the details of what happened is going to take time and we are having to go through matters step by step in an extremely sensitive way to paint the picture of what happened on this traumatic night."

Witnesses are asked to contact Middlesbrough police on (01642) 303126.