A young woman has been raped in a 150-year-old park near Whitehall.
The victim, in her 20s, reported she had been attacked in Victoria Embankment Gardens, Westminster, at around 4am on Tuesday.
A large section of the park next to the Embankment Bistro and Bar has been cordoned off by police.
Forensics officers have emptied a nearby fountain and appeared to be searching for evidence on Wednesday afternoon.
A Metropolitan Police spokeswoman said: “Around 4.10am on Tuesday, December 2, officers attended Embankment Gardens, following reports of a rape.
“Police attended and spoke to the victim, a woman aged in her 20s. She is currently being supported by specially-trained officers.
“No arrests have been made at this stage, and police are making urgent enquiries.”
The historic open space, between the River Thames and just outside Embankment Tube station, is described as “one of the finest in London” and opened in 1875.
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An large area near a memorial to the poet Robert Burns, who wrote Auld Lang Syne, remains sealed off by forensic officers.
There are various statues including that of John Stuart Mill, honouring his contribution to the suffrage movement, and the Grade II listed Lady Henry Somerset statue of a girl with a begging bowl in recognition of her work as a philanthropist and women’s rights campaigner.
York Watergate is in one corner of the park, originally built 400 years ago as an entrance to the Thames for the Duke of Buckingham.
