Concern has been raised over an alleged culture of secrecy surrounding a sexual assault in Balham.

Last Monday a woman was sexually assaulted in Chestnut Grove near Balham station, but residents were not notified and station staff were reportedly told by police to keep the incident quiet.

Locals are now asking how many more sexual assaults in the borough have simply been “brushed under the carpet”.

Alexandra Sturdy, 30, a managing consultant, said: “Why this is not being made more public, so that women in Balham and the surrounding areas can be more careful?

“Most of my friends and I live in the area, and this is really scary.

"All the more so for the fact that it’s not even a question of the public not being told, but of them actively being kept in the dark.”

In last week’s incident, an 18-year-old girl was attacked at 1am on September 28 after she was followed home.

Ms Sturdy saw police conducting forensic investigations the next day, but no-one would tell her what happened.

She also claimed Tube staff had even been told by police to keep the incident a secret.

The Wandsworth Guardian was not alerted either, but several of our reporters saw the aftermath on their way to work and were able to investigate.

A spokesman for the Metropolitan Police said there was no blanket publicity policy and that decisions were made on a case by case basis.

He added that regard was always paid to the victims and some investigations were sensitive.

To report information on the incident call Wandsworth Police on 020 8649 3105.

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