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A woman was subjected to a "horrifying" and "vile" rape closed to a canal in Manchester, police say.

The 41-year-old victim was followed for up to 15 minutes before she was attacked on Friday night, in Failsworth.

The offender, who struck at about 19:30 BST, attacked her on a path near Morrisons supermarket, Greater Manchester Police (GMP) said.

He is described as black and aged in his late 20s early 30s.

The victim is being supported by specially trained officers, police said.

"Clearly, this is a horrifying incident and we are supporting the victim through this process," Det Insp Louise Edwards, of GMP, said.

"We are working hard to trace the perpetrator of this vile crime and have a dedicated team of detectives following every possible line of enquiry available to us.

"This includes following several forensic leads, as well as exploring CCTV opportunities."

She urged anyone with any information to contact police.

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