Shoppers have spoken of their shock after a woman was dragged from her car and raped in a car park at John Lewis’s Cheadle branch.

Detectives are urging the public to report any suspicious activity after the attack at 7pm on Friday, which occurred in full daylight.

They have also released a detailed description of a ‘distinctive’ pock-marked Asian man in his 40s, who is said to have targeted the young woman just moments after she got into the driver’s seat.

He dragged her into bushes before assaulting her.

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Detectives say the woman is being supported by specialist officers after coming forward - and believe the attacker may have been lurking in undergrowth near near the cut-through from the Wilmslow-Handforth bypass, the A34, and the junction of Wilmslow Road and Etchells Road

This morning the store, which is next to Sainsbury’s, was open as usual at 9am.

All its car parks were open, with no sign of any police activity at the scene.

Shoppers parking up their cars spoke today of their shock at the attack and sent best wishes to the victim.

One woman, who asked not to be named, said: “It’s an awful thing to have happened and I feel very sorry for the lady involved.

“I just hope that the police catch whoever this man is and take him off the streets.”

Staff at John Lewis confirmed they were working with Greater Manchester Police, but have not yet released a statement about the incident.