Women in Barnet have been warned to be vigilant after four women have been sexually assaulted and another was almost sexually assaulted.

Five attacks have been revealed by the Metropolitan police as Barnet officers appeal for information and witnesses to help them investigate the similar cases in Edgware and Mill Hill.

Detective Constable Dan Levy of Barnet CID said: “We would encourage people to be vigilant and aware of their surroundings at all times and, when walking alone, keep to well-lit and busy areas where possible.

“If you feel uneasy about an individual or situation, trust your instincts and leave the area and head towards a public place such as a shop.

“We would also appeal to any other victims to come forward and speak to police.”

Last Thursday (November 24) around 11.30pm, a 23-year-old woman walking along Dollis Road was approached and sexually assaulted by a man, described as white and wearing dark clothes, before he walked away.

Two days later, on Saturday, 26 November, a 22-year-old woman got off the tube at Mill Hill East station and walked along Bittacy Hill, towards Devonshire Hill around 9.30pm, when a man grabbed and sexually assaulted her then let her go.

The victim described him as white, about 35 years old and 5ft 5in tall, with light brown spiky hair wearing a long black fitted coat, black trousers and black shoes and a European accent.

Similarities in the two cases have led police to believe the incidents could be linked.

On September 23 around 11.30pm, a 52-year-old woman turning into Tayside, Edgware, was grabbed and sexually assaulted by an unknown male who then let her go.

She described him as white, aged in his early to mid-20s and about 5ft 9in tall, wearing a grey hooded top and blue trousers.

Around 7.50pm on October 28, a 22-year-old woman at the junction of Broadfields Avenue and Harrowes Mead in Edgware managed to escape a man who attempted to sexually assault her.

The suspect fled on foot towards Broadfields Avenue and was described as white, Eastern European, aged 20 to 30 years old, about 6ft tall with short brown hair, wearing a grey hooded top and jeans.

On Sunday, 20 November around 8.30pm, a 38-year-old woman walking along Springwood Crescent, in Edgware, was by an unknown man to Burrell Close, where he grabbed and sexually assaulted her.

She broke free and the attacker, described as Eastern European, aged 20 to 30 around 5ft 7in with short blonde hair wearing a denim jacket, grey jumper and jeans, ran off towards Bushfield Crescent.

Detectives believe these three assaults in Edgware are also linked due their similarities but it is not known if the Mill Hill and Edgware assaults are linked at this time.