An investigation into a reported churchyard gang rape has closed after police found ‘no evidence’ the offence took place.

According to Thames Valley Police (TVP), a woman in her 30s was reportedly assaulted on the premises of St Mary’s Church in Banbury in the early hours of Sunday morning.

The force said officers were hunting for a ‘white man’ but were unable to describe the other suspects involved in the incident, which had been reported by a third party.

While another woman – also with no description from police – was believed to have helped the victim.

However, the force has now said it is ‘currently seeking anyone’ after it found that ‘no evidence’ the reported rape took place.

A public appeal for witnesses was issued on Sunday by TVP who later issued clarification the incident was not linked to migrant hotels, after speculation ‘regarding the possible ethnic background’ of the attackers.

TVP came under fire from Banbury locals for not revealing a description of the alleged attackers.

Last summer, riots across England and Northern Ireland were partly fuelled by social media, which wrongly claimed the Southport murder suspect was an illegal immigrant.

Thames Valley Police (TVP) said the alleged attack of a woman in her 30s happened in the grounds of St Mary’s Church in Banbury during the early hours of Sunday morning

In recent months, police have been inconsistent on disclosing the ethnicity of a suspect. When a car ploughed into Liverpool FC’s trophy parade in May, police rushed to say a white man had been arrested.

But Warwickshire Police were accused of a ‘cover-up’ after refusing to disclose the backgrounds of two Afghan asylum seekers who allegedly abducted and raped a 12-year-old girl. They deny the charges.

The Daily Mail revealed Warwickshire Police advised councillors and officials not to disclose the background of the suspects for fear of ‘inflaming community tensions’.

It is believed they thought unrest would break out like that seen at Epping in Essex, when an Ethiopian asylum seeker staying in a hotel was charged with trying to kiss a 14-year-old schoolgirl.

A TVP spokesperson said: ‘A Thames Valley Police investigation into an alleged rape in Banbury last weekend has found no evidence the offence took place as reported.

‘Therefore, we are not currently seeking anyone in relation to this investigation.

‘The original report was made to us by a third party, who stated that a woman had been raped by a group of men in St Mary’s Church churchyard in the early hours of Sunday morning.

‘We continue to support the woman involved.’

In statement made earlier this week, TVP had said it was ‘working tirelessly to identify the offenders and will share more with the public as soon as we can’.

The force said officers were hunting for a ‘white man’ but were unable to describe the other suspects involved in the incident, which had been reported by a third party

Nearby residents said St Mary’s churchyard was a hive of anti-social behaviour both before and after dark.

One single mother living in a flat overlooking the churchyard said: ‘You often hear screams from there but it’s difficult to know if they are being caused by people, perhaps making their way home from the nightclub around the corner, or from foxes. We do get lots of foxes in the churchyard.’

The woman said she reported a knife and bottle fight in the churchyard three weekends ago, adding: ‘It was on a Saturday afternoon in broad daylight. Groups of men had smashed bottles and were attacking each other with them.

‘You often get a group of Polish men sat there (in the church yard) drinking in the afternoon. It is not a pleasant place sometimes – I have seen kids as young as ten doing drugs in there and I’ve had men snorting cocaine off the lid of my wheelie bin before’

But the woman said she did not hear anything this weekend and said police had not been making door-to door enquiries in the vicinity of her flat.

‘I was in all day on Sunday and the police didn’t come around here’, she added. ‘It’s really concerning to hear what has happened. But I didn’t hear anything on Saturday night.’

St Mary’s Church had to cancel Sunday’s parish Eucharist and encouraged people to pray for the victim.

Reverend Serena Tajima, the vicar, told the Telegraph she was ‘absolutely devastated’ to hear about the alleged incident.

Rev Tajima also said how she found the churchyard cordoned off upon her arrival to prepare for her Sunday service.