POLICE are investigating two allegations of rape in Brandon, after reports of two separate incidents were received in the early hours of this morning.

Laurence Cawley

DETECTIVES are investigating after two women were raped in the same Suffolk town.

The rapes happened in separate areas of Brandon during the early hours of this morning - one in the Mill Hill area, the second in The Avenue.

Two areas of the town have been cordoned off by police as forensics officers and detectives scoured the scenes, one of which was in the playing field area near the sports centre, for evidence.

Police are also carrying out house to house inquiries and additional officers have been sent out to patrol the streets and speak with residents.

One of the victims was sent to Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge for treatment and the second was given help and support by specially trained police officers.

Although the two incidents happened at different times and in separate locations, police have arrested a 20-year-old man from Brandon on suspicion of both rapes.

Both women are currently being interviewed in a bid to establish what happened where and at what time. Although the ages of the victims have not been released, police have confirmed both were women.

Suffolk police has appealed for anybody with information to come forward.

Community leaders in the town have told of their shock at what has happened.

County councillor for Brandon, Bill Bishop, said: “It is absolutely ghastly - we just don't expect this type of thing in a small Suffolk town. It is bad enough to have one, but to have two - it is just frightening for people in the town.

“It just stuns me to think that this has happened, that anything like that could happen in Brandon. We will all have to be more vigilant.”

A force spokeswoman said: “Police want to hear from anyone who was in the area of Mill Hill or The Avenue (near the sports centre) last night and may have seen or heard anything suspicious.”

The incidents come less than a year after Robert English, a married father-of-two from Fiddlewood Green in Norwich, kidnapped a 21-year-old woman from the Tesco store in Brandon and took her to a caravan in Hockwold where she was subjected to a series of sexual assaults and rapes, during which she begged to be released.

Anybody with information, or who saw anything suspicious during the early hours of Sunday in the London and Thetford Road areas, should contact Suffolk police on 01473 613500 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.