POLICE have begun a manhunt after two teenage girls were attacked by a sex fiend.

Detectives are linking two separate incidents which happened within yards of each other in Hebrew Road and Briercliffe Road, Burnley, on Wednesday.

The girls, aged 13 and 16, were dragged into alleyways by the attacker but both managed to fight him off and get away. Officers said the victims were lucky not to have been seriously assaulted.

The first incident happened between 6.30pm and 6.45pm in Hebrew Road near the junction with Old Hall Street.

The offender dragged the girl from the main road into an alleyway after making indecent suggestions. The girl fought him off and made her escape.

The second incident happened 200 yards away about 8.15pm when a 16-year-old girl was dragged from a seat at a bus stop outside the Duke of York pub in Briercliffe Road and again forced into an alleyway. Again the girl managed to fight the offender off.

Both victims have given similar descriptions and, given their close proximity, officers believe the same offender has approached both girls.

He was Asian, aged 18-20, and 5ft 9in to 5ft 10in tall. He was wearing a three-quarter-length jacket, beige shoes and dark jeans.

Detective Inspector Mark Gray, of Pennine Police, said: "We are appealing for anybody who was in the area at the time of either of these two incidents to come forward or anybody who knows who the offender is. These are two incidents which could have been far more serious had both victims not managed to fight the offender off to make their escape.

"Their was definitely a sexual motive behind these attacks as the offender made indecent suggestions to both girls before dragging them into the alleyway.

"We are keen to catch this man before he has the chance to strike again."