RESIDENTS have spoken of their shock after a woman was sexually assaulted in Winchester city centre.

Hampshire Constabulary say they received the report of a 24-year-old being assaulted near to a wooden bridge at the end of Water Lane, writes Michael Carr.

Police quickly descended on the area on Saturday night and cordoned off Water Lane as officers carried out door to door enquiries and asked residents what they had seen.

No one has been arrested and officers are following lines of enquiry to locate the man believed to have been involved. The woman is being supported by specialist officers.

One resident who asked not to be named, but lives close to where the alleged sexual assault happened, said the road was full of police, and a van stayed at the scene for the whole night.

She said: "I came home after it had happened and wondered why the police were here, and they would not say.

"There was a big police van and a police car and they stayed at the scene all night. Nobody here knew what was going on.

"They came to my house to ask me if I had seen anything and just said there was an incident with a man and a woman on the bridge."

Co-owner of El Sabio Tapas Bar and Restaurant in Eastgate Street, Victoria Vamko, said: "We are shocked that this has happened, but it can be terrible around here, several years ago we called on the council to install CCTV."

Another resident in his 20's, who lives in Water Lane said: "I am really shocked, I was not even aware that this had happened, it is a very quiet area most of the time."

"It is absolutely mindblowing, I have lived here for four years and nothing like this has ever happened before."

Another resident who did not want to be named, said: "We were in when the police came and knocked my door.

"I should be shocked but I am not, because things like this are happening all over the place and you get so many incidents happening late at night here you just ignore it."