Leeds police seek key witness

Police examined a lay-by on the A58 near Collingham

Police investigating allegations of a serious sexual assault involving a Leeds United footballer, say a taxi driver could have vital information.

The Leeds player and another man not connected with the Elland Road club were questioned by officers about the allegations, but released on bail on Wednesday night pending further inquiries.

Now officers want to trace a taxi carrying three women which travelled along the A58 towards Collingham around 0130 BST on Tuesday.

The taxi would have passed the lay-by on the main road where police have been carrying out forensic examinations.

Detectives believe the taxi driver could be a material witness

The Leeds United player was arrested at the club's training ground at Thorp Arch, near Wetherby, on Tuesday.

Both men had spent Tuesday night in the city's Chapeltown police station.

Detailed search

Officers investigating the case are understood to have spoken to a second player from the club at Wetherby police station, but he has not been arrested.

Forensic experts and police officers spent Tuesday evening carrying out a detailed search of a lay-by in open country on the main A58 Leeds to Wetherby Road.

The area was taped off and experts in protective suits carried out a meticulous search under spotlights.

The statement from West Yorkshire Police said: "The two men being questioned in connection with an alleged serious sexual assault on a 20-year-old woman in Leeds have now been released on police bail pending forensic and other inquiries.