TWO men who are believed to have information about the attempted rape of a dog walker last week are being sought by police.

The 43-year-old woman was attacked as she walked her dog next to the River Tees at Thornaby, Teesside, in an area known as Black Bobbies Field, just after 10am last Monday, July 6.

A stranger pulled her to the ground and sexually assaulted her. She hit her head on the ground but was able to fight back and got away from her attacker.

Cleveland Police said they were making “good progress” with their inquiries and had spoken to several witnesses who had given them valuable information.

But Detective Inspector Matt Murphy-King said there were two more people he wanted to speak to, as they may have more information.

He said: “I would also appeal for any residents in the Thornaby Green, Richardson Road, Pottery Wharf and surrounding areas who have private CCTV systems to come forward. Their cameras may well have captured something relevant to the investigation.

“I would urge them to preserve any footage until a member of the investigation team assesses and collects it.”

The first man police hope to speak to is an Asian man of slim build, with curly, longish brown hair. He is about43 years old, 5ft 7ins to 5ft 8 ins tall, with a short beard and moustache. He was wearing ice blue jeans with a chequered shirt, with red in it, and was walking on his own.

The second man is white, with dark shaved hair and stocky built and was wearing a short sleeved yellow top with a collar. Both the men were in the area around the time of the attack.

Anyone with information is urged to contact Cleveland Police on 101.