POLICE have launched an investigation after a 15-year-old girl was indecently assaulted by a gang of men.

The girl, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was attacked on Monday night as she walked home from a friend's house along Lower Antley Street, Accrington, near the Bobbin Lane estate.

She was finishing a mobile phone call when she was grabbed from behind and dragged into a nearby alley and indecently assaulted.

She eventually managed to escape and ran down Lower Antley Street on to Dale Street, where she remembers seeing a silver four-wheel-drive type car with a blonde woman in her 30s sitting inside.

She then ran on to Willows Lane, where she summoned help.

Since the attack, which happened at about 8.45pm, the girl has been comforted by her family and a female officer. Police say there could have been four or five men, all Asian, three of whom were the principal offenders.

One of the men was in his early 20s with a strong, muscular build and dark hair, wearing black track suit bottoms, black woollen gloves and smelling strongly of cigarettes.

Of the other two who took the most active part in the assault, one was about 20, slim with dark hair, wearing a plain white hooded top and had significant stubble.

The third man was a similar age and believed to be wearing a grey or green woollen bob cap.

DI Jim Elston, of Accrington CID, said: "This has been an extremely upsetting ordeal for the girl, who is receiving support from her family and the police.

It's an extremely serious incident and the police are actively trying to identify the offenders and look to the public to support us in doing that."

Police would particularly like to hear from the woman in the silver vehicle and anybody who was in the area at the time and may have seen anyone matching the descriptions.

Anyone with any information should call Accrington CID on 353742 or the anonymous Crimestoppers line on 0800 555111.