TWO children were followed by strangers in separate incidents sparking a police warning.

In the first, on January 16, police in Bradford-on-Avon received a report that a 10-year-old boy had been followed by a vehicle in St Laurence Road.

The vehicle was black with tinted windows and a fairly new model. The driver was a white woman with long dark hair. The front-seat passenger was a white man.

Officers say three people in the back of the car got out of the vehicle in Culver Road and followed the boy.

The woman was and around 25, 5ft 3ins tall, with light brown hair worn in pigtails with green ties. She was wearing a pink short-sleeved crop top, black jeans and pink or silver Nike trainers.

A second woman was around 27, 5ft 5in, with blonde hair in a ponytail and wearing a black top, beige jeans and carrying a grey or brown handbag.

The man was aged around 32, 6ft, of large build, with dark brown short hair. He was wearing a Guinness T-shirt, a black leather jacket and Puma tracksuit bottoms.

In a separate incident, which police believe to be unrelated, two 12-year-old girls were approached by a man on their way to school as they walked in the Mount Pleasant area shortly after 8am on January 15.

This man was white, with shoulder length brown hair and blue eyes. He was wearing a brown leather jacket, brown trousers and a black cap.

Community coordinator PC Charly Chilton said: “We understand the nature of these reports will cause some concern within our local community and we would like to reassure residents that we are continuing to conduct regular mobile patrols in the town as a result, especially at school opening and closing times. If you see our officers out and about please chat to them and share any concerns.

“We are fully investigating both reports which we do not believe are related at this stage and we would urge anyone who either recognises those involved from the descriptions we have been given, or anyone who saw either incident, to please call police on 101.

“We would also urge parents of the importance of talking to their children about the issues of strangers and their associated danger – please monitor their own fear and be careful not to alarm your children. Ensure they know who, when and where to get help.

“It’s important to stress that no attempts have been made to injure children or get them into a car but we do want people to remain vigilant and report any suspicious behaviour to 101, or 999 in an emergency.

"There may well be a perfectly innocent explanation to these incidents, and if you are either the occupant of the vehicle, or one of those people described, please contact us so that we can complete our enquiries."