A man followed a teenage girl before grabbing her and trying to rip her jeans from her in a terrifying attack in west London.

Police said a man passed a 17-year-old girl “a few times” as she walked with friends in South Harrow in the early hours of Friday, January 16.

He then got out of the car and walked past several times, before the girl’s friends got on a bus and she set out to walk home from Northolt Road.

As she turned into an alley off Pett's Hill, the man allegedly grabbed her and tried to pull her jeans off before she screamed for help and fought against the man, who fled back down the alley.

Detective Constable Chris Dover, from Ealing CID, said: "Although this incident took place in the early hours, Northolt Road is a main thoroughfare which would have had many cars and people using it.

"This man may have been loitering in the area for some time so I am appealing for anyone who was in the area at the time and noticed someone acting suspiciously to contact me."

Police want to speak to a man who is described as Asian, between 19 and 28-years-old, of slim build with a shaved head around the back and sides and long black hair on top. He was wearing a black puffer jacket, possibly with red on the arms and jeans.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Ealing CID via 101 quoting reference 2501296/16. Alternatively, contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or online.