Kentish Express Ashford & District
Warning after children are approached by strangers
A concerned mother is warning parents to be vigilant after two children were approached by three men in a white van in Ashford.
The incident took place near Bockhanger shops in Kennington and is now being investigated by the police.
A boy and a girl, both 11, were at the shops last Tuesday at around 4.45pm when three men who were sitting in a parked Transit van started beckoning them over.
The mother said: “My daughter and her friend were out after school. They have to be home by 5pm.
“There were three men in a van near the shops and they tried to entice them over to the van with hand gestures.”
The driver of the van is then said to have moved it and parked in Belmont Road.
The mother says one of them also got out of the vehicle holding what is believed to be a mobile phone.
She adds: “I’m not sure if they got pictures of the children.
“The children told them to leave and then ran of. And the van drove off.
“The children came home in bits. My daughter is very nervous.
“I don’t want this happening to other children.”
One man has been described as being white, another black and one was wearing a balaclava.
Police say they are now investigating the suspicious incident.
A spokesman said: “It was reported a young boy and girl were gestured to by a man in a white van, parked in Bybrook Road.
“The pair refused to speak with the man and left the area, returning home.
“The van, believed to contain two other men, then drove off in the direction of Pastures Road.
“The incident was reported to police and inquiries are ongoing.”