POLICE are hunting a man who tried to abduct a 15-year-old girl in east Cleveland as she walked home.

The teenager was walking along Troutbeck Road, Redcar, on Monday, January 5, at about 9.45pm when a man jumped out from behind a nearby gatepost and grabbed her arm.

The man spoke briefly to the girl who eventually managed to break free and run home.

A police spokesperson said: "The man is described as black, about 6ft tall and approximately 20 years old.

"He was wearing a hooded sweater with the hood up around his head and spoke with a Jamaican or African accent."

Anyone who recognises the man is asked to ring Det Con Nicky Mellor at Redcar Police Station on (01642) 302626.