Attacks: This man is being sought over a string of sexual assaults in Clapham, South London this month

Police are hunting a man caught on camera sexually assaulting a young woman on her own doorstep after it emerged that he may have attacked seven other women.

Officers fear the attacker may be responsible for a string of assaults which have taken place in Clapham, South London, over the past three weeks.

Horrifying CCTV footage shows the man coming up behind a woman as she opened her front door on Monday night, then assaulting her before running off when her boyfriend appeared.

One man was arrested in connection with the assault and two others which took place the same evening - but last night two more women were attacked in Clapham.

The first man arrested has now been released on bail, and the man caught on CCTV is still at large.

All of the women described the man as being of Mediterranean or middle-eastern appearance with dark hair, police said today.

Detectives said the man is targeting lone women late at night, with all eight victims in their 20s and 30s.

Last night, a 28-year-old woman was grabbed by a man who ran off after she screamed, then another woman was pushed into a block of flats and sexually assaulted.

The first attack took place at 11.30pm on October 9 when a woman was grabbed and sexually assaulted, then later that night a different woman was molested when she tried to tell a stranger to leave her alone.

On October 22 a man placed his hands up the dress of a woman after following her along the road at around 9pm.

Attacks: This man is being sought over a string of sexual assaults in Clapham, South London this month

On Monday night, three assaults took place in the space of three hours all within a close distance of each other.

One 35-year-old woman was grabbed from behind at around 7.05pm, an hour before the attack which was caught on CCTV, then at 9.36pm, a man exposed himself to a 28-year-old woman outside her home.

The victim who was attacked at her front door told MailOnline of her terror at the assault, which took place when there were still plenty of passers-by on the street.

'I just walked home, got the keys in the door, and all of sudden, he was there,' she said. 'I wasn't aware he was there - until he put his hands on me.

'It was 8pm at night, there were people walking home and it was busy. I have lived on that road for more than five years and I have never felt unsafe there before.

'I'm just hoping this video will mean he can be caught and won't get away with it. I don't want this man doing it to anyone else. It just isn't acceptable.'

Caught on camera: The man was filmed on CCTV sneaking up on a woman and assaulting her

Horrific: The attacker grabbed his victim before she saw him as she was opening her front door

Assault: The man ran away when his victim's boyfriend heard her crying out and came to the door

Launching the police appeal today, Superintendent Rob Applegarth said: 'We are aware of eight assaults which we are linking at this early stage. We have increased police patrols in Clapham and Brixton Hill and urge women to think of their personal safety.

'We are also releasing CCTV and an image of a man we would now like to speak to in connection with these incidents.'

Detective Sergeant Gordon Barclay, who is leading the investigation, added: 'Lambeth police would like to advise women to remain vigilant when travelling at night and would also ask that anybody who may have any information regarding these offences to make contact with police.