A young woman has been sexually assaulted as she walked home after a night out.

The 24-year-old was followed by a man who grabbed her chest and put his hand across her mouth.

She had been confronted by the man on a footpath which comes out alongside Longhurst after getting of a train at Burgess Hill station shortly after 11pm on Saturday.

She managed to get away from the suspect who walked back towards the railway line, down the footpath off Kingsway, in the direction of the town centre.

The man is white and aged in his late 20s to early 30s. He is around 5'10" tall, with strawberry blond hair.

He was wearing a green T-shirt, a navy blue hooded jumper and dark jeans.

Detective Constable Chris Mills, from Mid Sussex CID, said: "This is an unusual offence to happen in the town and we would like anyone who may have seen this man in Burgess Hill on Saturday night to contact police with information.

“The victim wants to warn other women to be aware of their surroundings when they are out on their own late at night, to trust their instincts and use their common sense."

Anyone who has any information about the incident should call 0845 60 70 999 quoting reference 2166 of August 29 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.