POLICE are investigating a “suspicious incident” in which a youngster was approached by two men in Southampton.

The nine-year-old girl had been walking with her two friends in Millbrook when she stopped on Cuckmere Lane to tie her shoe laces.

Two men in a white Transit-style van stopped alongside her, got out of the van and approached her.

Police say they are trying to establish exactly what happened and what was said. But they said the girl was frightened and concerned by the incident and ran away to rejoin her friends.

Specially trained officers have been speaking to the girl alongside her family and police are carrying out inquiries in the area.

Police are appealing for witnesses, who may have seen a young girl speaking to two men or a white van in the area at the time of the incident, which happened between 5.20pm and 5.30pm yesterday.

Detective Sergeant Gavin Jordan from Shirley CID said: “We treat all reports of this nature seriously and would ask anyone with information to contact police.”

Anyone with information is asked to contact Det Sgt Jordan at Shirley CID quoting Operation Landscape on 101 or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.