Parents and teachers have issued a warning after reports of strangers approaching children in and around Heaton Park.

In one case a mother says an unknown man made a move for her two children inside the park.

And in a separate incident, police were alerted after a man followed two pupils from Parrenthorn High, which borders the park.

Pupils and families have been alerted and the park officials have urged suspicious incidents to be reported to police immediately.

In a warning posted on the Facebook site for Prestwich parents, the mother describes how a man appeared from bushes on Wednesday this week.

The post say: “Girls, serious post now. Was in Heaton Park this afternoon when I had a close encounter with a weirdo who was hiding in the bushes and made a beeline for my boys when he thought I had my back to him.

“He retreated to the bushes when I yelled and ran at him (funnily enough). There followed a mad dash to the security office and back to my car. 6ft bearded man with short dark hair and a bald spot on top near the Middleton Road entrance. I have spoken to park patrol, parents, police and Ofsted and wanted to put you all on your guard.”

Two children approached

The school incident was reported to have happened on Friday last week, when two children were approached as they walking to Parrenthorn High.

In the wake of the incident, pupils have been reminded in assembly of the dangers of talking to strangers, and to be aware anyone acting suspiciously.

Commenting on the Friday incident, a school spokeswoman said: ”I can confirm that school reported the incident to the police. This was following a report from the girls when they arrived at school. Parents were contacted to let them know what had happened, that the girls were fine and the incident had been reported.”

A Manchester council spokesman said: “We received a complaint that a man had walked towards a woman’s children in the park on Wednesday. Our security officers immediately searched all woodland areas close to where this happened as soon as they received the complaint, but could not find anyone matching the woman’s description.

“The on-site security guards have been briefed about the incident and remain vigilant, and we would urge anyone who sees anything suspicious in the park to contact our staff and the police as soon as possible.”