Attacks on two women thought to be linked

Police said both incidents involved the women being grabbed from behind and threatened with a sharp object to their necks while they walked alone

Warwickshire Police has launched an investigation to find two men after two women were assaulted while walking alone in Nuneaton.

Both incidents involved the women being grabbed from behind and threatened with a sharp object to their necks, said the force, adding the investigation was being treated as a "priority".

The first assault took place at about 23:00 BST on Saturday in Ansley Village Recreation Ground.

The woman had a mark on her neck from the object pressed against her, but the attacker fled when her dog intervened, officers said.

The second incident took place on Wednesday at 13:30 on Wood Lane in Arley.

The woman reported hearing a second man nearby in a black hatchback parked in a layby after the attacker began pulling her.

Both men are believed to have left the scene shortly after, said police.

A post on Nuneaton and Bedworth Police Facebook page said while descriptions of the suspects differ slightly, both victims described hearing an Eastern European accent, speaking another language.

Online speculation

Officers are now treating the two crimes as connected and said they were actively tracing the men and the vehicle involved.

The force said it was also aware of speculation circulating online.

It said detectives were "working flat-out to trace those responsible" and that lines of inquiry did not so far back up suggestions online that the men involved were asylum seekers.

Police said a separate investigation was under way after a local House in Multiple Occupation (HMO) was damaged, which they believe is as a result of speculation surrounding the incidents.

They added: "Anyone damaging HMOs or harassing asylum seekers will take police resources away from where we want them to be - which is patrolling the local area."