CHILDREN and their parents have been warned to be on their guard after a man was seen acting suspiciously near Poole schools.

Police were alerted after a man stared at schoolgirls and followed them down the road near Broadstone Middle School in Dunyeats Road on Tuesday morning.

Two girls reported their concerns following the incident, after which the man got into a white van and drove off.

They described him as white with olive skin, around 50-years-old, of medium build and with dark hair and a beard. The girls said he was wearing a green Puffa jacket with a fur hood.

In a second incident two girls reported that a man had stared at them and winked at them as they walked near Rossmore Community and Learning Centre. He was described as white, in his 50s, slim, with a grey beard and wearing a green anorak.

Due to similarities in the description, police believe both incidents may have involved the same man.

Information about the incidents were circulated to local schools by Dorset Police's School Watch group.

Principal of nearby Stanley Green Infant Academy, Angela Malanczuk, passed the information to parents and said: "Please stay vigilant and keep yourselves safe."