Police are investigating reports that a 10-year-old girl was followed by a man in the Highburton area on Monday.

They say the suspicious incident occurred at 4.30pm.

The girl was walking her dog on Burton Acres Lane when she became aware of a man walking behind her.

She began to feel intimidated by how close he was and felt he was following her.

She got out her phone and pretended to make a call, saying “Mummy, I am being followed”.

The man turned and fled towards the tennis courts and recreation ground.

He is described as white, approximately 5ft 10ins and wore a black hooded top.

The man did not say anything or attempt to grab or touch the girl.

Some schools in the area have already made parents aware about this incident.

Police have issued some guidelines to ensure safety and warn adults to make sure their children are aware of what to do should they find themselves in a similar situation.

They include:

* Keep to well lit, well populated residential areas when out and about

* If they are approached by people they don’t know, even if it is someone asking for directions, don’t get too close

* If someone tries to grab them or hurt them, shout “help me” as loud as possible to attract attention

* Run to somewhere safe where there are other people, such as a shop, or doctors surgery

* Report anything suspicious such as this to as soon as possible on 999

Fortunately, police say incidents such as this are few and far between but it’s always a good idea to make sure children are prepared and know what to do should anything happened while they’re out and about.

In unrelated investigations, police would like to speak to the people pictured in the image gallery below. The people pictured in the images may be witnesses as well as suspects. If you recognise anyone, contact police on 101 quoting the reference number on the image caption.