A teenage boy has been arrested on suspicion of attempting to rape an eight-year-old girl in a park.

Officers were called to Nuthurst Park in Moston, Greater Manchester, at around 6.55pm after reports the girl had been raped and the offender had been chased off by members of the public.

The suspect, believed to be aged 14 or 15, was arrested by police in a nearby shop on Saturday evening.

The alleged attack happened in Nuthurst Park in Moston, Greater Manchester, shortly before 7pm on Saturday

The victim is being provided with support from specially trained officers.

Inspector Dave Whelan said: 'I know this incident has understandably caused a lot of unrest in the local community, particularly among those who were in the nearby area at the time but I want to assure everybody that we have launched a full investigation.

'We treat all reports like this with the utmost seriousness and as such officers swiftly attended the scene and arrested a teenage boy within 16 minutes of the initial call coming in.

'We would like to thank the local community who assisted in our initial inquiries earlier today.

'Local residents may notice an increased police presence in the area so if you have any information about the incident or concerns that you wish to raise with officers, then I would encourage you to either approach them directly or call police.'