DETECTIVES hunting a sex attacker who pounced on a jogger as she ran in Southampton are scouring CCTV footage for clues.

The woman in her early 20s was grabbed as she ran along a footpath in Cemetery Road close to the Common by a stranger said to be acting strangely as she ran past.

He grabbed her and indecently assaulted her before she ran off to get help.

Officers are urging runners to be extra-vigilant when out jogging on their own.

They are examining CCTV footage in the hope of tracing the man responsible while also trying to trace an older man who was out walking three dogs and offered to walk the woman home after the assault, as he could be a vital witness.

The attacker is described as white, about 5ft 10in, of average build and aged in his mid-30s. He had short brown hair and was wearing a baggy navy blue jumper with a white sports logo in the middle and blue trousers.

Anyone with information about the assault, which happened at 8.30am, should call Bitterne police on 101.