Horrific footage shows a man in a moving car dragging a screaming woman along a road by her HAIR in late-night attack at a petrol station

Horrific footage shows a man in a moving car dragging a screaming woman along a road by her HAIR in late-night attack at a petrol station

Police are investigating after a woman was seen being dragged alongside a car by her hair last weekend.

The woman was attacked by a man in a Toyota Aygo as it pulled out of a petrol station in Preston in the early hours of Saturday morning.

Horrific footage of the attack was filmed by a passerby and has since been shared on social media.

It shows the woman struggling to get away from the man in the driver's seat of the car as it leaves the petrol station forecourt.

A member of the public can be heard shouting at the man to let her go, and telling him the police are on their way.

The woman screams 'get off me, please, get off me!' as the driver revs the engine and drives along the road, with the woman hanging by the side of the vehicle.

The victim finally manages to escape his grasp and runs to the petrol station for help. She appears to have avoided serious injury.

Lancashire Police say they are aware of the incident an are investigating. 

Local resident Jerome Roberts, 33, witnessed the incident, but was not the man who filmed it.

He said: 'It was absolutely shocking. The man was pulling her in and screaming: "Get in, get in - people will come out if their houses". 

'His back windscreen was smashed. She was screaming and ran in to the petrol station.

'He then drove back two minutes later but he then left. An ambulance came for her but her shoe was still in the street the next day.'

Another witness, Jenny Williams, 22, said: 'The woman was in a terrible state. She looked terrified and ran away without her dressing gown.

'I couldn't believe what was happening - he was acting like an animal.'

A Lancashire Police spokesman said: 'We were called by a member of the public at around 4:15am on Saturday to the report of a woman being assaulted by a man in a car at a garage on New Hall Lane in Preston. 

'The woman had been seen to be repeatedly dragged by a car close to the Texaco Garage. 

'An investigation has been launched and enquiries are on-going. At this stage, no one has been arrested.' 

They asked people not to share the unedited footage on social media. 

The force can be contacted via the 101 phoneline. Anyone with information can call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.