A concerned mother is warning parents to be vigilant after two children were approached by three men in a white van in Ashford.

The incident took place near Bockhanger shops in Kennington yesterday at around 4.45pm and has been reported to the police.

A boy and a girl, both 11, were near the shops when three men who were sitting in a parked transit van started beckoning them over.

The mother said: "My daughter and her friend were out yesterday evening. They have to be home by 5pm.

"There were three men in a van near the shops and they tried to entice them over to the van with hand gestures."

The driver of the van is then said to have moved it and parked in Belmont Road.

The mother says one of them also got out of the vehicle holding what is believed to be a mobile phone.

"The children came home in bits. My daughter is very nervous" - the girl's mother

She adds: "I'm not sure if they got pictures of the children.

"The children told them to leave and then ran off. And the van drove off.

"The children came home in bits. My daughter is very nervous.

"I don't want this happening to other children."

One man has been described as being white, another black and one was wearing a balaclava.

Police say they are now investigating the suspicious incident.

A spokesman said: "Kent Police was called at 5.20pm on Tuesday, November 4 to a report of a suspicious incident in Kennington, Ashford.

"It was reported a young boy and girl were gestured to by a man in a white van, parked in Bybrook Road.

"The pair refused to speak with the man and left the area, returning home.

"The van, believed to contain two other men, then drove off in the direction of Pastures Road.

"The incident was reported to police and inquiries are ongoing."