Chilling footage has emerged of a man attempting to rape a woman on the side of a busy street.

The CCTV shows a man in his 30s following the 22-year-old woman into Becontree Avenue, grabbing her from behind and throwing to the ground before exposing himself.

The brave victim is then shown to punch the man in the stomach and shout for help. A passing driver reverses and phones the police as the suspect runs off towards Wood Lane, Dagenham.

The attack took place at about 6.20pm on Monday, March 6, after the victim got off the EL2 bus in Wood Lane opposite Morrisons and turned onto the road.

Police are now looking to trace the man in the video, believed to be in his 30s, with fair hair and a short brown beard. He wore a grey top with a white shirt underneath and blue jeans.

Detective Constable Matt James from the sexual offences, exploitation and child abuse command, said:

“The woman is very shaken from her ordeal. She was able to shout for help and use self-defence to flee from her attacker.

“We are keen to identify the man in the CCTV footage so we can speak to him about the incident. We would also urge anyone who witnessed the incident to contact us.”

Anyone with information or any witnesses are urged to call police on 101 quoting image reference 240989 or tweet at @MetCC.

To give information anonymously contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or visit crimestoppers-uk.org.

No arrests have been made and enquiries continue.