A woman was hit with a roof slate before being raped, police said.

The victim, in her twenties, was walking along Westend Street in Oldham, Greater Manchester around 4.40am on Saturday when she was approached by a man.

He grabbed her and pulled her onto an AstroTurf pitch nearby, where he assaulted the woman before raping her.

Afterwards she went to a house nearby to call for help, at which point police were alerted to the incident.

She has been taken to hospital for treatment of her injuries and is being supported by specially trained officers.

Police have cordoned off the crime scene around the AstroTurf pitch off Westend Street while officers carry out their inquiries.

The offender is described as a white man, in his early twenties, of a slim build with mousy brown hair and a Manchester accent. He was wearing dark clothing with a hood pulled over his head.

Detective Inspector Ian Harratt of Greater Manchester Police’s Oldham borough said on Saturday: “It’s very distressing that a young woman has been attacked and raped in such a brutal way, we are doing everything we can to find the person responsible.

“We are taking this very seriously, and although we believe it is an isolated incident, you will see extra officers in the area today and this evening, carrying out house-to-house inquiries and gathering information.

“While we are supporting the woman, we really need help from people in the local area to come forward and share any information about the early hours of this morning.

“If you have CCTV cameras, please review your footage and contact our local team if you have anything which could help our inquiries.

“It may seem minor, but that detail could be the key to finding who this man is and ensuring he is held to account for his actions.”

Anyone with information is urged to call 0161 856 9080 or make an anonymous report through the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.