A 15-YEAR-OLD girl was punched up to seven times in the face before being raped in an alleyway.

The girl was on her way to a bus stop, walking along Wynne Street, a back alley between Hilton Street and Cleggs Lane, Little Hulton, at about 10pm on Sunday, January 11, when the man attacked her from behind.

Police described the attack as "appalling" and are appealing for witnesses.

The victim raised the alarm after the attack, running to the nearby home of her boyfriend, and police have praised her bravery in coming forward.

The attacker, described as a large man in his 40s, punched his victim to the ground in the alleyway before dragging her about 50 yards to a car park and raping her, police said.

Police said the incident was isolated and that they are not linking it to other attacks, but they urged the public to take precautions while the man is at large.

He is described as white, in his 40s, about 5ft 6in tall, with a big build and a large belly.

He was wearing a black woolly hat, a blue bubble coat, black tracksuit bottoms and black trainers.

Crime scene investigators sealed off both sides of the alleyway while they scoured the area for evidence, eyewitnesses said.

Det Insp Alan Clitherow said: "The girl is with her mother at her home address and we are in direct contact.

"This is an appalling incident. She has been very brave coming forward and giving us such detailed descriptions.

"We know the movements of the girl and now our priority is to trace the movements of this attacker.

"He has approached her from behind and punched her six or seven times to the face, and she has some bruising to the face.

"He has picked her up and dragged her to a car park just off Wynne Street.

He added: "What we do not want to do is cause undue alarm. People should always use common sense in terms of where they are going and how they look after themselves."

Police are now trawling CCTV footage from nearby homes and businesses, and will be working on producing an e-fit description of the attacker.

Det Ch Insp Clare Devlin said: "This young girl suffered the sort of traumatic ordeal no-one should ever have to experience and we are offering her as much support as she needs at this difficult time.

"We have specially-trained officers working with her as she comes to terms with what happened.

"The best peace of mind we can give this young girl and her family is to have this man locked up so we are appealing to the public to help us.

"If you recognise the man from this description, or you have seen him hanging around this area before, then please call us. Any scrap of information could be vital."

Victoria Stirrup, who lives in Hilton Street, a few doors down from the alleyway, had returned home less than two hours before the rape on Sunday night.

She said: "It is awful and makes me feel totally sick.

"It is disgusting and I am really frightened.

"The poor girl. We were coming back at about 8pm, 8.30. My mother left here in her car at about 9.30.

"It is scary and totally shocking that something like that could happen to a girl of that age."

Her husband Nigel Stirrup said: "That alleyway would be very dark at that time, especially at this time of year.

"My reaction was shock really. When I saw the police vans, I thought it must have been a fight, not something like this."

Anyone with information can call police on 101 or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555111.