A MAN has been arrested after a woman was raped at a building site in Bournemouth. 

At 6.26am on Thursday, Dorset Police received a report that a 19-year-old woman had been raped at the site near St. Paul’s in St. Swithun’s Road in Bournemouth.

The incident was reported to have taken place at around 5.30am.

The derelict area, partly used as a car park, sits between a row of houses in St Swithun’s Road and a hoarding running alongside St Swithun’s Road South, off the St Paul’s roundabout.

The scene was cordoned off and officers are continuing to make enquiries. 

Construction work is under way on a block of student flats, on the site of the American Golf shop.

Yesterday officers blocked off both entrances to the construction area while investigators examined the scene.

A 21-year-old man from Bournemouth has been arrested on suspicion of rape and is currently assisting officers with their enquiries. 

Chris Sharp, an electrician working at a property on St Swithun’s Road, said: “I got here just before 8am and went round to the back as that is how we have been getting into the house.

“I came back out to get my tools and went to go back down the alley, but police said I couldn’t go down there. I must have walked right through the scene, but couldn’t see anything there.”

Mr Sharp said he saw a woman, who looked “quite shaken up”, taken away by officers.

The area, particularly in the vicinity of the nearby United Reformed Church, has become notorious as a haunt for vagrants and drug users, the subject of many complaints at the regular East Cliff and Springbourne neighbourhood forum meetings.

The same car park area of St Swithun’s Road was the scene of an alleged sex attack back in 2015.

Ward councillor David Kelsey said residents of the area were actively working to “change the image of the area”.

“Hopefully the victim is ok, this will lead to further police enquiries so I can’t comment further at this stage,” he said.

“The residents recently had a meeting with the Deputy Chief Constable and are working with police and other local groups to make the area a better place.”