A YOUNG girl escaped after she was grabbed by a man who wanted her to come with him, police have said.

The 10-year-old was on her way to school yesterday morning in Totton when she was approached by a man.

The girl was walking alone along Lawford Way just before 9am when a man took hold of her wrist and asked her to come with him.

The girl broke free from the man’s grip and ran away to school. She was uninjured.

The man is described as white, in his late 20s with gelled, short and spiky black hair and freckly pale arms.

He was between 5ft 10ins to 6ft tall with a spotty nose and a silver stud piercing through his left eyebrow.

He was wearing a grey coloured hooded top with white stripes in the fabric and a central pocket, with the sleeves were pushed up to his elbows.

Below the wait he was wearing thin black coloured tracksuit bottoms with black strings hanging down and thin white lines down the side and holes on the knees.

He also wore a chunky gold watch with writing on it.

DS Damon Kennard of CID at Lyndhurst said: “This is an extremely rare incident in the New Forest. We are working with schools in the area to reinforce the message to pupils and parents to be aware of their surroundings at all times.

“Safer Neighbourhoods officers from Totton have been increasing their patrols on the routes around schools in the mornings and at the end of the school day, this will continue into next week.

“I would encourage anyone who may be able to help us identify this man, or may have witnessed the incident and not yet spoken to police to contact us at the earliest opportunity.”

Anyone with information is asked to contact CID at Lyndhurst police station on 101, or call Crimestoppers, the charity, anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Callers from outside Hampshire and the Isle of Wight should dial 0845 045 45 45.