Man arrested after fifth riverside sex attack in Hereford

A police cordon near Victoria Bridge was expected to remain in place for the rest of the day

A man has been arrested after a sex attack next to a river.

Police have cordoned off a river path near Victoria Bridge in Hereford following the attack, which happened at about 01:50 BST.

West Mercia Police said a man in his 30s was arrested on suspicion of sexual offences and remained in custody.

The force, which would not confirm any details about the victim, said it was not yet linking the reported attack to other recent sex crimes in the area.

High visibility officer foot patrols along the riverside had increased in recent days following four other reports of sexual offences within a two-week period.

The force has said these patrolling officers were informed of the incident.

"I'm aware that there have been previous reports of incidents along the river path in recent weeks, " Supt Damian Pettit said.

"However we keep an open mind during the thorough investigations being undertaken."