Two English women, aged 16 and 20, told French police they had been raped by two men in the centre of Nice in the early hours of Saturday morning.

The two friends, who were on holiday in the Mediterranean resort town said they had left a bar in the old town of Nice at around 2am on Saturday morning, according to Nice Matin newspaper which first reported the crime.

The two tourists then headed towards the beach along the Promenade des Anglais where they met two men.

After agreeing to go for a drink with the two men, the four headed off towards the old town.

But on Rue de Belgique (see photo above), near the train station, the two women were pushed into a corner and sexually assaulted.

The two victims went directly to police and reported the crimes who opened an investigation into suspected gang rape. Police studied CCTV images of the area and later on Saturday morning arrested two drunk men in the area.

However one was released without charge while the other was taken into custody after allegedly insulting police officers.

Police are looking for any witnesses to the incident and have carried out medical examinations on the two victims.

A spokesman for police in Nice declined to give any further details of the incident but confirmed an investigation has been opened for gang rape.

The spokesman confirmed that two women were tourists and were staying in a hotel in the town centre.

A spokeswoman for the British Embassy in Paris confirmed to The Local that they were providing support to two British nationals in Nice “and will remain in close contact with local authorities”.