Police are appealing for the public’s help in tracing a man who drove around north London and Hertfordshire with two women he abducted.

The first woman was abducted from a street in Chingford on Thursday, April 25 at around 12.30am. The second woman was abducted nearly 12 hours later from a street in Edgeware, at 12.15pm.

Both women, who are in their 20s, managed to escape from their attacker after a struggle in Osborne Road, Watford at around 2.30pm the same day, and are now receiving support from specialist officers.

The suspect has been described as a white man of muscular build in his late 20s or early 30s, with a bald head or shaved blond hair and a short, light-coloured beard. He was also said to have tattoos.

The car he was driving is believed to be a silver or grey Ford S-Max people carrier, with false registration plates.

Officers from the Homicide and Major Crime Command are leading the investigation, supported by other specialist and local officers as well as Hertfordshire Police. They are treating the abductions as two random but linked attacks.

No arrest has been made at this time, but detectives have been working around the clock to get as much information as possible about the suspect and the attacks, and are renewing appeals for information and witnesses.

DCI Katherine Goodwin, who is leading the investigation, said: “My team has been working extremely hard to identify the suspect behind these appalling crimes, and our reviews of CCTV and forensic evidence are ongoing.

“We are continuing to speak to both women to obtain a complete picture of what happened after they were abducted.

“At this stage we believe that the suspect travelled around north London and Hertfordshire in his car from the early hours of Thursday, April 25 and he may have come into contact with other members of the public.

“If you were in these areas on Thursday and were approached by a stranger in similar circumstances, or saw anything that roused your suspicion or made you feel uncomfortable, get in touch now.

“We have now released details of the car the suspect was driving. It may be that he is still driving around in this car, or he has parked somewhere.

“If an unfamiliar car like the one pictured is now parked on your street, call police straight away.

“The two victims have been left traumatised by the attacks. This person is clearly a danger to women, but I want to assure people that we are following up on every piece of information received and will not let up in our efforts to identify the man behind these attacks.

“Stranger attacks like this are extremely rare. That being said, I would urge everyone in these areas to remain vigilant and report anything suspicious to police immediately via 999.”

Anyone with information is asked to call the incident room on 0208 785 8244 or 999 quoting CAD 3041/25Apr, or tweet @MetCC and/or call Crimestoppers anonymously via 0800 555 111.