attack in the Southampton area -- the third in less than two months.

Police appealed for information about each of the incidents and said women should seek crime prevention and safety advice.

The latest attack happened in the early hours of Saturday as the victim made her way home between 3.45 and 4 a.m. She was walking along Middle Road, near Warwick Lanes, in Warwick, when she was offered a ride from a male motorcyclist.

However, she became concerned and jumped off the bike when the driver failed to follow directions.

Moments later, she was walking along Middle Road, near to the Jehovah's Witness Church in Heron Bay, when she was grabbed from behind and dragged into nearby bushes and sexually assaulted.

She was later picked up by an off-duty Police officer who stopped to help her as she began walking again.

Last Tuesday, a man seriously assaulted a teenager as she made her way long the Railway Trail in Southampton.

She was walking along Tribe Road Number Two at about 5.30 p.m. when a man approached her. The pair greeted each other, but then the attacker grabbed her and forced her to the ground.

The victim kicked and screamed, but the attacker placed his hand over her mouth and raped her before fleeing.

And at the end of August, a woman was sexually assaulted as she lay in her bed in East Avenue, Southampton, near to Horseshoe Bay.

She awoke to find the man standing over her bed and assaulting her. He then told her he planned to rape her.

The victim ran for the telephone, but was then attacked with the receiver in the face and head by the attacker. She finally managed to escape, but the man fled the scene and has not yet been arrested.

Last night, Police failed to release descriptions of the attackers, but said officers were keeping an open mind.

A spokesman said: "There is no information at this time that suggests the most recent sexual assaults are related in any way.

"But, this possibility has not been ruled out, as the investigations are in their initial stages.

"Police continue to appeal to the public for any information that may assist in establishing the identity of the assailants.'' He said the Bermuda Police Crime Prevention Unit had useful information relating to situations where these types of attacks may occur.

He added: "For example, there is advice on choosing walking routes with care, and ensuring that there are as many open and well-lit areas as possible.

"It also provides a list of items that may be carried on one's person that may improve their safety. These include flashlights and small air horns for use as an effective warning device for outside areas, and which also serve to deter the attacker.'' All of this crime prevention information will soon be released in the form of a brochure, which will be available at any Police Station and the public library.

Penny Dill, of The Women's Resource Centre, last month also urged women to be on their guard and to avoid unlit or unsafe areas where possible.

There have been a number of attacks on women in recent months, not all of a sexual nature, and she said, as a result, they had to be more vigilant and heighten their own security.