Bars and pubs in north-west London are being encouraged to sign up to the Women’s Night Safety Charter after a bartender was attacked after leaving work.

The woman, who wishes to remain anonymous, was targeted on her way to Kilburn tube station following a late shift at the North London Tavern in Kilburn High Road.

She managed to fight off the attacker and raise the alarm and is working with the Metropolitan Police following the incident.

“He grabbed me from behind and put his hand over my mouth, but somehow I managed to wriggle free and scream at the top of my voice,” she said.

“Luckily, a resident heard me and came out to see what was going on, which frightened him off.

“Women should be able to feel safe; it was a horrible experience and I really don’t want anyone else to go through it.”

The campaign to improve safety in the night-time economy is backed by Brent Council.

It is offering free training to bar staff on how to keep female customers and employees safe at night.

Carolyn Downs, chief executive at Brent Council, said: “We will do everything we can to ensure that businesses can look out for their female customers and staff and are sufficiently trained to protect and proactively identify issues within their venues and deal with them appropriately.

“I would appeal to all pubs and clubs to sign up and show a sense of solidarity that we care about the safety of women while they’re out enjoying our vibrant town centres and most importantly that they are supported to get home safe and sound.”

Cllr Tom Miller, responsible for community safety and engagement at Brent Council, said it was important to “keep women feeling as safe as possible” so they can “feel confident about fully engaging in celebrations”.

Businesses can contact community.safety@brent.gov.uk for a free training email and visit bit.ly/2TU35Ut to find out more about the Women’s Night Safety Charter.