Detectives have praised a group of men in Greater Manchester who stopped the attempted rape of a terrified teenager and held the suspect until police arrived.

The men disturbed the attacker as he allegedly tried to rape a 17-year-old girl on Friday night in a car park in Ashton-under-Lyne.

They stopped the attack and chased the suspect, holding him until he was arrested by police.

A 23-year-old man is in custody for questioning.

This is a great example of the police & public working together to stop crime, and I am extremely thankful to them for their assistance Detective Inspector Karl Ward, Greater Manchester Police

Detective Inspector Karl Ward, from Greater Manchester Police (GMP), said: "First of all, my thoughts are with the girl who was victim to this terrifying attack, she is getting specialist support and we will continue to help her get through this horrible ordeal.

"Secondly, I would like to take my hat off to the group of men who intervened, stopped the attack, then gave chase so police were able to make an arrest."

"We are still appealing for further witnesses however, so if anyone saw anything that might help the police investigation we would really like to hear from you," Detective Ward added.