Hunt is on for man who tried to lure Ashton on Mersey pupil into his van

The hunt is on for a man who tried to lure an Ashton on Mersey School boy into his van.  The school has issued an urgent alert to parents and children after the incident.  The man apparently pulled up alongside the 11-year-old and asked him if he wanted a can of Vimto  drink.

The youngster was walking home from school at the time. Staff have now urged pupils to walk in groups or pairs if possible and stick to well-used routes.

Police are appealing for witnesses or anyone with information to come forward.

The boy was on Totnes Road, near its junction with Carrington Lane, when the man pulled up alongside him in a white van. Police said he wound down the driver’s side window and offered the boy a drink.

He refused and the man drove off. The boy then walked home. Police were alerted an hour later by the boy’s parents to a report of a ‘suspicious man’.

A police spokesman confirmed the incident at around 3.30pm on Wednesday was being treated as suspicious.

Officers carried out an immediate search of the area in the aftermath but no trace of the van, was found.

The school sent out email warning alerts to parents as a result.

The school said: “Regrettably I need to again deliver an email warning you of some suspicious behaviour from adults in the local area. One of our younger pupils was stopped on his way home by a man driving a white van, possibly a Ford Escort.

“He is described as being in his mid-30s and he asked the pupil if he wanted some fizzy Vimto and told him to get into the van. This happened at the end of Totnes Road and Carrington Lane. The boy didn’t listen to the man, continued home and told his parents, who have reported it to the police.