Police investigating a rape close to a popular East End pub on New Year’s Day are appealing for partygoers who may have seen something to come forward.

The victim, a 29-year-woman, is said to have been standing with the suspect outside the Star on Bethnal Green Road before she was attacked.

When she attempted to go back into the pub she was grabbed and backed into a nearby alley where she was then forced to the ground and raped.

Police were called at around at 2am to the area, close to Rushmead just off Bethnal Green Road.

The Met’s Sapphire Unit said the woman believed two men may have walked past and briefly spoken to the suspect and officers investigated are keen to trace the pair.

The suspect is described as being of Mediterranean appearance with long brown hair and he wore a long-sleeved brown top.

Information to the Sapphire Unit at Shoreditch police station on 020 7275 3490 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.