SCHOOLS are on alert across the county after an attempt was made by a man to entice a 12-year-old girl into his vehicle in St Briavels.

The man in a white, muddy van approached the girl in his vehicle on the village's High Street between 7am and 8am last Friday (16th January) as she was on her way to the bus stop.

He proceeded to follow her, asking her where she was going and offered to take her to the bus stop. The girl alerted her mother and police were called.

The driver is described as a white male, in his mid-late 40s, with bushy eyebrows, a goatee beard, possibly a Welsh accent, and a green/brown beanie hat, green turtle neck jacket with a zip, and brown trousers.

His car is described as a very dirty white van, possibly caked in mud and similar to a Ford Connect in appearance. The child believes she has seen a similar van in the area before.

Anyone with information should call 101, quoting incident 058 of 16th January.

Gwent Police has a helpful website (http://www.schoolbeat.org">www.schoolbeat.org) packed with information about how to help keep your child safe. There is age-appropriate information on the site.

Parents are also encouraged to speak to their children about stranger danger and visit the Kids Aware section of the Gloucestershire Constabulary website http://www.gloucestershire.police.uk/kids_aware">www.gloucestershire.police.uk/kids_aware.