POLICE have appealed for information following what is believed to be the attempted abduction of a schoolgirl in Aveley.

A statement from Essex Police says: "We are investigating following an incident where a girl was assaulted in the Aveley/South Ockenden area.

"We received a call shortly after 5.25pm on Wednesday 24 November reporting a girl had been grabbed by a man on Stifford Road about 15 minutes earlier.

"The girl has not been injured. Our enquiries are ongoing.

"If you saw anything, or have any CCTV, dashcam or doorbell footage we need you to contact us.

"If you have any information you can submit a report online here where you can use the 'Live Chat' button to speak to an online operator between 7am and 11pm.

"Please quote incident 831 of 24 November. You can also call us on 101 or contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111."

It is reported that a passing motorist saw the girl being accosted and stopped and intervened.