Police are appealing for witnesses, dashcam footage and anyone with information to come forward after a man raped a woman in Highnam.

At around 4.30pm last Sunday (21 August) a man in a white van pulled over into a gravel layby on Two Mile Lane and approached a woman.

He pushed her to the ground, sexually assaulted and raped her.

The suspect was described as a white, tanned man, aged in his mid to late 20s, with short dark hair.

The suspect then left the scene in the white van. Officers would like to speak to anyone who thinks they may have seen the vehicle on the A40 or B4215 between 4.30pm and 5pm that day.

Specialist officers have been working with the victim for the past week while the investigation has progressed with CCTV searches and forensic works. Officers are now in a position to appeal for the public’s help.

Police are asking anyone who may have witnessed the incident, the suspect or the vehicle in the area at the time or have relevant CCTV or dashcam footage to get in touch.

You can contact Gloucestershire Constabulary through the website, quoting incident 348 of 21 August: https://www.gloucestershire.police.uk/contact/af/contact-us/us/a-crime-that-has-already-been-reported/

You can also call police on 101 or give information anonymously to the independent crime-fighting charity Crimestoppers by calling 0800 555 111 or online at https://crimestoppers-uk.org/