An attack on a woman who woke up battered and bruised on the ground in woods may have had a sexual motive, police have revealed.

The 23-year-old victim cannot remember the attack, with her last recollection being of a man approaching her near Quarry Street in New Stevenston, North Lanarkshire.

She managed to make her way to a friend's house nearby where the alarm was raised.

Police confirmed she was taken by ambulance to Wishaw General Hospital where she was treated for injuries following the incident between 2am and 3am on Monday.

Detective inspector Julie Mullen said: "At this time the young woman doesn't know how she came about her injuries - she just remembers being approached by a man at an entrance to the park land on Quarry Street and then waking up with a head injury and bruised.

"Officers have still to establish what happened to her but one line of inquiry is that there may have been a sexual motive to the attack - but this has still to be confirmed.

"Extensive enquiries are under way to establish the full circumstances of the incident. It is absolutely imperative that we speak to anyone who was in the surrounding area in the early hours of Monday morning.

"If you were there, whether you think you saw anything or not, please come forward as something you may not believe to be important could prove vital to our investigation."

Anyone with information relating to the attack is asked to call 101.