THE search for a man detectives want to speak to in relation to a serious sexual assault has seen a good response following the release of high quality CCTV images.

Cleveland Police received about 20 calls and had more than 20,000 views of the footage on the force’s social media services while a further 4,000 people viewed still images of the man.

The footage was released as detectives continue the hunt for the attacker of grandmother who was sexually assaulted as she made her way to work in Middlesbrough earlier this month.

The 52-year-old victim was walking along Borough Road on the North Ormesby flyover above Lytton Street when she was attacked at about 6am on the Saturday, June 7.

Detective Sergeant Matt Hollingsworth said: “We have had around 20 calls in response to the footage and the photographs that were released yesterday and that information is being prioritised.

“We have also had more than 20,000 views of the footage and more than 4,000 views of the photographs on social media, but we are still encouraging people to come forward if they have any information regarding the identity of the man.”

The victim underwent shoulder surgery and also sustained a broken nose after the brutal attack, when she was punched and dragged down a footbridge before being sexually assaulted.

A man came to her aid, chasing the suspect who ran off towards North Ormesby.

A 29-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of attempted rape last week in the West Yorkshire area and was later released on police bail, but he has since been eliminated from police inquiries.

Anyone with information is asked to call non emergency number 101 or Crimestoppers on 0800-555-111.