Police are appealing for information about a rusty white van after strangers cornered a girl in an alley as she walked to school.

The 15-year-old from Ashford was left shaken after she was forced to run through bushes and a ditch in a bid to escape three people in a van.

Police investigating the incident now want to hear from anyone who saw a rusty white van with a "distinctive metal lock on the back" in the area at the time.

The John Wallis Academy pupil had been walking along along Britannia Lane at about 7.55am on Tuesday, when she first spotted a van parked up.

Her mother said: "She thought nothing of it, and carried on walking.

"She cut through an alley towards Millbank Road and the van had driven around and cornered her in the alley.

"There were two men and a woman, with the driver coming out of the van.

'We would like to speak to anyone who saw a rusty white van'

"She managed to run through bushes and down a ditch to get into school.

"If she hadn't got away, I don't know what would have happened."

The girl's mum says she now intends to drive her daughter to school each morning, in the wake of the scary incident.

She is urging parents and children to remain vigilant.

Police officers investigating the incident have visited the area to look for CCTV.

A spokesman for the force said: "Police would like to speak with anyone who was in the area at the time and saw a rusty white van, with a distinctive metal lock on the back."

Police are also investigating two other similar incidents that took place in Ashford within the same 24-hour period.

At 8.20am on Monday, a girl was approached in Bank Street in the town centre by a male driver who offered her a lift. He then walked off towards Tufton Street when she declined.

At about 8.15pm the same day, a young woman waiting at a bus stop in Stanhope Road was left "absolutely petrified" when a man approached her, and stared at her intently while slowly walking past her several times.

The man left the scene, when someone known to the young woman came to her aid.

Police say the incidents are not thought to be linked.

Anyone with information regarding the Millbank Road incident is asked to contact police on 01843 222289 quoting 46/43608/21.

Read more: All the latest news from Ashford