New Scotland Yard
Eight Albanian boys were arrested for the alleged rape of a girl in Tower Hamlets Reuters

Eight Albanian boys have been arrested on suspicion of raping a teenage girl in Tower Hamlets, east London.

The youths, all either 16 or 17 years old, were the subject of a recent investigation by officers from the Met's Child Exploitation Team.

The investigation relates to allegations made by a 13-year-old girl about two offences, one in Tower Hamlets and one in Hayes, Middlesex, which occurred on 6/7 September and 21 September.

Two of the boys have now been charged but cannot be named for legal reasons with the remaining six on police bail pending further inquiries.

There were 33 more reported rapes in Tower Hamlets in the 12 months to June 2014 compared with the previous year while overall crime in the borough has been on the wane.