DETECTIVES are appealing for information after a man was sexually assaulted on a street in an east Durham town centre.

A police spokesman said the 33-year-old victim was approached by another man in Church Street, Seaham, at 6.30pm on Saturday, February 22.

They fell into conversation and the pair made their way towards Foundry Road, near to the Asda store in Byron Place shopping centre.

The spokesman said: "As they did so, the younger man believed to be in his late 20s, started making advances to the victim and then sexually assaulted him.

"He managed to get away from the situation and the other man walked off from the area. The victim was then able to find a security guard at Byron Place who then called police."

The suspect spoke with a local accent, had light-coloured hair and was wearing a light blue hooded top.

At the time he approached his victim he was drinking from a bottle and carrying a white plastic bag.

Police are hoping to hear from any passers-by or drivers who were in the area at the time and might have seen a man matching this description.

Anyone with information should contact the investigating officer, Det Con Rachael Austin in the serious crime team at Peterlee via 101.