PARENTS have been put on alert after a schoolgirl was approached by a driver.

The man in a black BMW pulled up next to the 10-year-old who was riding her bike.

He wound down his window to try to talk to her, police said. The girl was approached near Helmshore Primary School, in Gregory Fold.

She did not speak to the young man and rode off in the opposite direction. The man then drove away.

The incident was reported to an off duty police officer and the school, which has issued a warning letter urging parents to make sure their children do not speak to strangers.

It comes after two schools in Haslingden also warned parents to be vigilant during the half-term holidays after a man was seen acting suspiciously outside St Mary’s RC Primary School and Haslingden Primary School.

But police are not linking incidents in the two towns.

Christine Myers, headteacher at Helmshore Primary School, said: "A parent of a pupil at the school informed us that her child had been approached by a man who was driving a black vehicle the previous evening.

“My colleagues and I have asked parents to remind their children about the importance of not talking to anyone they don't know and general safety.”

Police confimed that a parent had contacted them following an incident on Tuesday at 7pm.

A spokeswoman said: "A 10-year-old schoolgirl riding her bike was approached by a young man driving a black BMW at 7pm on Tuesday.

“He wound his window down and said ‘hello’ to her. She rode off in the opposite direction."

Jackie Gamble, mother of Misha, six, who attends the school, said she didn’t feel safe after hearing about what happened to the girl.

She said: “I drum it into my kids to never talk to strangers, but recently there seems to have been more and more of these horrible things going on.

“It’s shocking.

“Kids should be able to play out near to their houses when it’s still light outside and us not have to worry.

“I feel like I’ve got to have eyes in the back of my head just to protect them from weirdos.”

Sarah Walsh, whose nine-year-old daughter Freya attends Helmshore Primary, said the school had done all it could to protect the children.

“There’s a teacher at the gates every morning so nobody can get in.

“I’m really glad they told us about this because we need to know this is going on so close to home.”

Rossendale MP Jake Berry, who is a former governor at the school, said: “The school has done the right thing in asking parents to be a little more vigilant with their children.”

Helmshore councillor Granville Morris said: “My granddaughter goes to a primary school in Helmshore and I’m certainly going to be warning parents around the area.”

The school letter to parents said: “A junior child attending our school alerted staff to the suspicious behaviour of a vehicle, which approached them in the local area on Tuesday evening.

"The vehicle is described as a black BMW driven by a young male. Full details have been passed to the police. We have emphasised to the children the importance of not talking to anyone they don't know and general safety. We would appreciate if you could reinforce this message at home without causing unnecessary anxiety."