POLICE patrols in Chippenham have been increased following three separate reports of young girls being followed by a man in a van.

The first incident happened at 8am last Wednesday (November 16), when a young girl who was walking along Ashfield Road was approached by a man in a van who gestured for her to come over.

She kept walking and the man was described as white, with wavy, grey hair and in his 60s.

On the same day at 3.30pm, a 12-year-old girl was walking down Queens Crescent onto Hungerdown Lane before a van drove past her slowly, turned down a side road and re-appeared to drive past the girl again before she met with her parents.

The van was described as an old white car-derived van with no markings or signage and the man was white.

The third incident happened on Friday (November 18) at 8am, when a 15-year-old girl was walking along Brook Street where she was stopped by a man in a van who asked if she wanted a lift to school.

The girl said no before running to a friend’s house and the man was described as white, with a beard, aged in his 40s.

PCSO Sarah Moth said: “We are keeping an open mind as to whether these incidents are linked and our enquiries are ongoing at this stage.

“We have increased visible patrols in these areas, in particular at the start and end of the school day and would like to reassure the local community that we are taking these reports seriously.

“We would like to urge parents and guardians to talk to their children and stress the importance of not talking to strangers. If you are approached by anyone suspicious while out and about, please do not engage with them and call police immediately – call 999 at the time, or 101 after the incident. If possible, try and get a description of the driver or the vehicle.”