POLICE have now given more information about an incident on Stifford Road between South Ockendon and Aveley yesterday (Wednesday, 24 November) when a man grabbed a teenage girl.

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

The girl was not injured but is understandably shaken. "She is being supported by specialist officers and our enquiries are ongoing." DS Natalie Roberts, of Grays CID, said: "This will of course be concerning for residents and parents but please be reassured that incidents of this nature are rare. "Our detectives are working around the clock to follow all leads in the investigation and officers from our Community Policing team will be conducting patrols in the area. "If you saw anything, or have any CCTV, dashcam or doorbell footage we need you to contact us. Even one small detail could help us identify the man involved." The man is described as wearing a dark coloured hoodie and blue jeans, and may have been travelling on a push bike prior to the incident. 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. Callers are asked to quote incident 831 of 24 November. You can also call police on 101 or contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.