TWO terrified teenage girls were grabbed by a hooded attacker close to Turf Moor.

One of the 13-year-old girls was grabbed by the hair and the other pushed to the floor as the man, who had his hood pulled up over his head, tried to catch them, detectives said.

MORE TOP STORIES:

The pair only managed to get away by kicking out in self-defence and scaring their attacker off by screaming loudly, police said.

The teens were unharmed, but have been left badly shaken.

Detectives said they could not ‘rule out’ whether the attacker had a sexual motive.

Youngsters are being urged by police to think about their safety while out walking at night. Patrols have since been stepped up in the area.

Former council leader Julie Cooper, Burnley’s Labour parliamentary candidate said what had happened was ‘every parent’s worst nightmare’.

She said: “I am shocked to hear this has happened. Until the police have apprehended this man, other young girls are at risk.

“I would remind parents to remind their daughters to be particularly vigilant while out walking.

“I cannot imagine what these girls’ parents must be thinking. As a parent with a daughter myself, I know this is every parents worst nightmare.

“This attack was bad enough, but it could have been so much worse. Thankfully they managed to get away.”

The two girls were cutting through Chichester Close at the back of Burnley FC shortly after 7pm on Saturday when they were approached by the man, who was alone, officers said.

He grabbed one of the girls by the hair but let her go when she kicked him. He then grabbed the second girl by her waist and pushed her to the floor. She screamed causing the man to run away.

Coun Jeff Sumner, who sits on the Lancashire Police and Crime Panel, said: “Luckily the guy came up against two girls that fought back, or we could have been looking at something far worse.

“We have to give credit to these girls for standing up to him. I think they had a lucky escape.

“If women cannot walk the streets safely at night, we need to do something about it and come down heavily on these people.”

The attacker was described as white, around 18 and skinny..

He was wearing jeans and a dark coat with fur around the hood, which was pulled up over his head.

DS Charlie Haynes, from East Lancashire CID, said: “This was a disturbing incident but thankfully the girls were not physically hurt.

“We have stepped up patrols in the area and we have had no other similar reports since this attack.

“Given the age of the two girls and the time of year, I would like to remind all students to consider their personal safety when walking anywhere at night.”

Anyone with information should call 101.