Rochdale man arrested in Blackpool on suspicion of attempted child abduction and inciting a child under 16 to engage in sexual activity

A 32-year-old man from Rochdale has been arrested on suspicion of attempted child abduction and inciting a child under 16 to engage in sexual activity

A Rochdale man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted child abduction and inciting a child under 16 to engage in sexual activity after approaching two girls on their way to school in Blackpool.

Police say they had received reports of a man in a vehicle approaching the girls on two separate roads, four miles apart, between 9am and 10am on Thursday 25 May.

Neither girl was touched or physically harmed, police say.

The man, 32, remains in custody as the police investigation continues.

A spokesperson for Blackpool CID said: “It was reported that a man in a vehicle had approached two girls, on route to school. Thankfully, neither girl was touched or physically harmed.

“We understand the impact this report will have had in the community and want to reassure you that we take reports like this extremely seriously. We are mindful of several social media posts about the incident online. We would urge people not to speculate and instead report any relevant information directly to us.

“This incident is reported to have happened in open locations on busy main traffic routes.

“With that in mind, we’d ask that if you were in the area this morning [Daggers Hall Lane and Blackpool Road] and have dashcam or CCTV footage that could be relevant to our investigation, please get in contact.

“You can contact us on 101 quoting log 0354 of 25 May, or report online here.”