Residents warned after report of abduction attempt

Police have urged people to avoid "taking their own action" following the reported attempted abduction of a 14-year-old girl.

South Yorkshire Police made the request after a school in Barnsley told parents someone had tried to abduct another girl, aged 11.

The force said the only report "of this nature" it was aware of involved a 14-year-old who ran off after a man got out of a car and tried to engage with her on Shafton High Street on Monday.

Insp Richard Mangham said: "I would urge residents to avoid speculation and taking their own action. This could jeopardise our ongoing inquiry."

He added: "While we understand residents desire to keep their community safe, I want to reiterate that we have officers working hard to investigate these reports, including delivering extra patrols in the area."

He said police were following multiple lines of inquiry and were in contact with the victim and her family after the reported incident, which took place at about 19:20 GMT.

Sam Benson, head teacher at Brierley Church of England Primary School, apologised to "anyone who was alarmed" by the message about the 11-year-old.

"We wanted to warn people as soon as we heard about an incident nearby, however, in hindsight we should have verified the details before sharing it," she said.

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