Police are hunting three separate men after a teenage girl, in a harrowing ordeal, was attacked three times in one hour in east London.

The horrifying attacks took place as the girl attempted to make her way home to central London from Tower Hamlets, after becoming separated from her friends.

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The 17-year-old girl was attacked between 11:55pm on Friday, September 29 and 12:55am the next day.CCTV footage of a man carrying the girl shortly before midnight has been uncovered.

Footage shows the man wearing dark clothing, taking her down Cambridge Heath Road.

However, the image is of such poor quality police do not have an accurate visual description.

The man took her into a doorway where items of her clothing were later found.

A little while later, the girl was spotted on a security camera stumbling down Mint Street.

This time, she is being followed by a man with a beard on a racing bicycle.

Wearing a two-toned zip-up hoodie with darker shoulders and a plain t-shirt, the man stayed behind the teenager along Mint Street.

He was also wearing a backwards baseball cap with a square/rectangular emblem on the front and was carrying a bag.

The girl turned right into Three Colts Lane and headed in the direction of Bethnal Green Overground Station.

Both the girl and the man, who had now approached her, are picked up again on CCTV in Corfield Street.

The man leads her into an area of the street away from CCTV where they remain for some time.

The man leaves first and the girl minutes later, appearing disheveled.

Minutes later, about 12:45am, detectives believe the victim suffered a third attack, possibly involving two or three men.

A third suspect was picked up on camera walking down Cornfield Street, before joining two other figures seen in the distance.

The man is spotted bending down between parked cars, where it is believed the girl was attacked.

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At about 12:55am, the man with a “distinctive” walk comes back along up Cornfield Street on his own.

A member of the public found the girl on the ground and dialed 999.

The girl was taken for examination and a toxicology test over fears she was drugged.

“This is a horrific multiple sexual assault on a young female who was simply making her way home after a night out. We would like to thank the members of the public who intervened to help her and possibly prevented her ordeal from continuing even further,” Detective Inspector Suzanne Jordan, from the Met's Child Abuse and Sexual Offences Command, (CAS0) said.

“We believe two of the three were very serious sexual assaults indeed, and are determined to catch the persons responsible for these hideous crimes. I would urge anyone who recognizes either male in these images to contact us as a matter of urgency.

“We’d also like to speak to any witnesses who haven’t already come forward, or anyone with any information at all however insignificant they believe it might be - it could prove crucial to progressing our enquiries.”

The Metropolitan Police released CCTV images of two of the suspects on Friday.