Rochdale man arrested after approaching two girls on route to school in Blackpool

A man from Rochdale has been arrested after approaching two young girls on their way to school in Blackpool this morning (May 25).

Police say between 9am and 10am they were called to two reports of suspicious behaviour on two separate roads nearly five miles away from each other. The reports said that a man in a vehicle had approached two young girls on their way to school.

Neither girl was touched or physically harmed, Blackpool Police added. A 32-year-old man from Rochdale has now been arrested on suspicion of Attempted Child Abduction & inciting a child under 16 to engage in sexual activity.

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Police say they are aware of numerous posts on social media about the incidents. They have urged people not to speculate and urged anyone with information or footage of the incidents to report it to them.

A Blackpool Police statement said: "Between 09:00 - 10:00 this morning (May 25), we received two reports of suspicious behaviour on Daggers Hall Lane and Blackpool Road. It was reported that a man in a vehicle had approached 2 girls, on route to school. Thankfully, neither girl was touched/physically harmed.

"A 32-year-old man from Rochdale has been arrested on suspicion of Attempted Child Abduction & inciting a child under 16 to engage in sexual activity. We want to reassure you that we take reports like this seriously & understand the impact this will have had on the community.

"We are mindful of social media posts about the incident. We would urge people not to speculate & instead report any information directly to us. If you were in the area this morning & have dashcam or CCTV footage