A protest march is being held in Bristol in the wake of a recent spate of sexual attacks in Clifton.

The Bristol Feminist Network (BFN) is inviting men, as well as women, to take part in the "Reclaim the Night" event next month.

The march through the city centre and Old Market to the Trinity Centre will start at 6pm on February 20 with a vigil on College Green.

It will be a protest against violence against women on the streets.

The man, dubbed the Bristol Groper, is accused of carrying out five attacks on lone women in as many weeks last year in and around the Clifton area.

The serial sex attacker first struck on October 12 and carried out his last attack on Friday, November 21.

The series of assaults prompted police to warn women to take care when out on their own.

Women were targeted as they have walked along Whiteladies Road, Alma Road, Pembroke Road, Hanbury Road and Hampton Park in Cotham.

In each case, the suspect has been described as a white man, about 5ft 10in, with dark hair and wearing dark clothing.

No one has been arrested in connection with the attacks.

Sian Norris, of the BFN, said: "During the period of the attacks in the Clifton area, women were urged to avoid being alone at night, to stay at home and keep in well lit areas.

"This typical media reaction to sexual violence teaches women that their freedoms should be curtailed due to male violence.

"Rape and violence damage the lives of all women. They teach women to live in an atmosphere of fear, where blame for rape is laid at the feet of women, rather than treated as the vile and devastating crime that it is.

"Women should not be made to feel afraid to inhabit the streets they live in, but have as much right to walk in safety down the street as a man does.

"A young man is more at risk of physical attack from a stranger on the street than a woman of the same age.

"However, despite this evidence, men are not taught from a young age to fear the streets in the same way a woman is.

"Violence against women is endemic in our society. Two women a week die due to domestic violence. One in four women have experienced or will experience sexual or domestic violence in their lives.

"We live in a society where women are trafficked and forced into prostitution; and a world where women bear the brunt of conflict, poverty and deprivation.

"Reclaim the Night aims to: secure funding to support victims; educate on safety and respect to prevent sexual violence; demand an increase in conviction rate of rapists."

After the vigil on College Green at 6pm, the march leaves at 7pm though the Centre and across Castle Park, along Old Market and ends at the Trinity building at 8pm.

There will then be speakers, music and dancing at the Trinity for the rest of the evening.