A man in his 40s has been arrested after allegedly stalking a 12-year-old girl while she walked home from school.

Police say a number of incidents were reported in February and March after the young girl was apparently followed by an older man while walking home from school in Chippenham.

The alleged incidents took place in the Queens Crescent and Cepen Park South areas of the town.

The suspect was arrested on suspicion of stalking on the morning of Wednesday, May 17, and taken into custody at Gablecross station.

At the time of writing, he remained in custody for police questioning.

Sgt Jamie Ball said: “I hope news of this arrest provides reassurance to the community that we take reports of this nature extremely seriously. If you wish to report an incident, please do not hesitate to call us.”