A 14-year-old girl and two 11-year-olds were approached by people travelling in white van

This article is more than 1 year old

This article is more than 1 year old

Police in Greater Manchester have been investigating two incidents of suspected attempted child abduction involving a white Transit van with multiple people inside.

The first incident occurred shortly after 9.40pm on Monday 12 November, when a 14-year-old girl was walking along Lower Southfield in Westhoughton, Bolton.

She was followed for a short distance by a white van with blacked-out side windows and a sliding door. Three people wearing balaclavas then jumped from the van and chased her. She ran to a nearby address and was unharmed.

The driver of the van, who was not wearing a balaclava, is described as white and was wearing a coat with a fur-lined hood.

The second suspected child abduction attempt happened after 3.40pm on Tuesday 13 November on Spring Lane in Radcliffe, Bury. It was reported to police that a white van was stationary at traffic lights at the junction with Blackburn Street when its sliding door opened and a person demanded that two 11-year-olds get inside.

One of the people in the van reportedly attempted to grab one of the children’s coats, but the 11-year-olds managed to run off.

Three men voluntarily attended a police station in relation to the incident on Wednesday and police said they were helping with their investigations.

Police described the van as being “dirty and rusty with white bumpers and had ladders on the roof”. The rear section of the van had no seating and there was wood stored in the back.

“The driver in the second incident was described as white, with tanned or darker-shaded skin and aged between 30 and 40 years-old,” said a police statement. “He was wearing a black baseball cap, dirty clothes and black trainers, one of which had a hole in.”

Police believe that a woman witnessed the second attempted abduction and were urging her and anyone else with information to get in touch.

Ch Insp Phil Spurgeon of Greater Manchester police’s Bury division said: “We understand the concern that incidents such as these cause. I’d like to reassure the community that we have detectives working on both incidents to establish if they are linked, and to identify the vehicles and occupants involved.

“It is absolutely essential that anyone with information on these two incidents contacts police as a matter of urgency. Perhaps you have seen a white van driving suspiciously in the Bolton or Bury area during the last few days.

“Even the smallest piece of information can be enough to help apprehend suspects and solve cases such as these. We would particularly like to appeal to a woman who we believe witnessed the second incident in Radcliffe.”