US rap star Nelly has been accused of sexually assaulting a woman at a gig in Southend as part of an ongoing lawsuit in America.

Essex Police will attempt to contact a woman mentioned in a US lawsuit alleging Nelly sexually assaulted her after a gig at the Cliffs Pavilion in December.

The hip-hop artist denies all the claims in the lawsuit.

The force has said they would contact the Seattle-based lawyer to obtain a report from the unnamed woman after officers were alerted by US media reports.

The allegation, that a woman was sexually assaulted by the rapper after a gig at Cliffs Pavilion in Southend last December, is included in the claim of an American woman who alleges the rapper raped her on his tour bus.

An Essex Police spokesman said: "We have checked our records and don't appear to have received a report of this incident.

"Specially trained officers are now making contact with the solicitors in a bid to contact the victim to take a report."

Nelly, real name Cornell Iral Haynes Jr, denies the allegations and has filed a counter-suit, while his lawyer Scott Rosenblum said the claim was "deceitful" and "motivated by money".

University student Monique Greene, 22, is suing the 43-year-old in Washington, USA, after prosecutors dropped a criminal case against him because she would not testify.

In court documents obtained by the Associated Press, the lawsuit also says a third woman alleges she was sexually assaulted after a show at Koko, in Camden, north London, in June 2016.

The student's lawyer Karen Koehler said that the two women contacted her after reading about her client's case.

One of the women is British and another is an American who was stationed in England with the military at the time.

Mr Roseblum, in an email to the Press Association, said: "Nelly is sensitive to women that have been victimised and marginalised. This is not the case here. He will not stand silent.

"The recent addition of 'Jane Doe 1 and 2' is completely fabricated and an attempt to give credibility to his accuser's far fetched story.

"Nelly welcomes the opportunity to litigate this case in court. He is not looking for any monetary gain. He does not expect any monetary gain.

"He expects an apology and recognition that he did no wrong."