POLICE have appealed for a taxi driver to come forward following an assault on a young woman as she waited for a cab.

The 21-year-old victim was standing at a taxi rank in Coan Terrace, Chester-le-Street at about midnight on Sunday, June 17, when the attack happened.

A police spokesman said the woman, with a female cousin, was chatting to a pregnant woman who was also in the queue.

He said: "As the pair reached the front of the queue, a taxi pulled up but, before they could get into it, two men and a woman barged ahead and climbed in.

"When the victim moved forward to speak to the driver, the trio became abusive.

"One of the men got out of the vehicle, grabbed the woman's hair, pulled back her head and punched her in the mouth. He then jumped back into the taxi and it drove off."

The victim, a local woman, suffered cuts and bruising to her mouth and one of her teeth has been loosened as a result of the attack.

The attacker is described as white, 18 to 20 years old, 5ft 7in, skinny, with a local accent. He had short, dark brown hair and was wearing a pale, long-sleeved shirt, dark jeans and black shoes.

PC Duncan Spence said: "We believe the taxi driver, though not implicated in the assault, must have been aware of what happened and I would appeal to him to come forward to help with our investigation.

"We would also urge the pregnant woman who chatted to the victim to make contact with us as she may also have information which could be valuable to us."

Anyone with information can call 0845-60-60-365 or Crimestoppers, on 0800-555-111.