Police are investigating after a child, teenager and woman were approached in separate incidents around Ashford within 24 hours.

The first happened in Bank Street in the town centre at 8.20am on Monday, when a girl was approached by a male driver.

Officers were called after the child was offered a lift by the man, who walked off towards Tufton Street when she declined.

This was followed by a similar incident at about 8.15pm when a woman was waiting at a bus stop in Stanhope Road.

In a Facebook post by the young woman's mother, the victim was "absolutely petrified" when a man stared at her while slowly walking by her.

The stranger doubled back and said hello, but she ignored him.

She was left shaking when he then walked back past her, staring intently, before getting on his phone and walking back towards her.

Thankfully someone she knew came to get her in their car and the man walked away.

The mother, who was left feeling "physically sick", said: "This is not acceptable, scaring young women. Please be careful everyone."

A police spokeswoman said: "We received a report at about 9.15pm on Monday that a woman was waiting at a bus stop in Stanhope Road earlier in the evening when she saw a man standing nearby.

"No offences were reported however inquiries to establish the full circumstances are ongoing."

"Patrols are in the area and anyone with any concerns is encouraged to speak to an officer or report the matter via 101 (999 if a crime is in progress) or via our website."

At about 7.55am yesterday, another incident occurred which left a 15-year-old shaken.

The John Wallis Academy pupil was walking along Britannia Lane on her way to school when she was approached.

Her mother said: "She saw a van parked up, thought nothing of it, and carried on walking.

"She cut through an alley towards Millbank Road and the van had driven around and cornered her in the alley.

"There were two men and a woman, with the driver coming out of the van.

"She managed to run through bushes and down a ditch to get into school.

"If she hadn't got away, I don't know what would have happened."

'Public transport is a safe way to travel...'

Left scared by the incident, her mother now feels she will have to drive her into school each morning.

The mother-of-three is urging parents and children to remain vigilant.

It comes as the issue of women's safety while walking alone has been widely discussed in the wake of Sarah Everard's death.

The 33-year-old's body was discovered in woods near Great Chart, about four miles from Ashford town centre, and has caused a mounting effort to promote women's safety.

A number of tools and advice are being shared on social media around the town, including to call 999 as soon as you feel threatened rather than later.

This can make police investigations easier as the person may still be in the area.

Another way of staying safe is through the Walksafe app, which allows you to ping reports of suspicious behaviour and harassment.

The earlier Bank Street report sparked a joint effort between the police and Stagecoach employees, who stood watching the road for any signs of trouble yesterday.

Louise Sills, Stagecoach's operations manager at its Ashford depot, said: "We're grateful that we have a really supportive community policing team in Ashford and we work very closely with them.

'Sarah’s death is terrible in every possible way...'

"On Tuesday morning our team were out in Bank Street alongside officers helping to reassure and engage with people travelling by bus.

"Public transport is a safe way to travel, but ensuring people feel safe is especially important in challenging times.

"We have a great background of partnership working with the police in Ashford which means we can act collaboratively and very quickly when concerns like this are raised."

In the wake of Ms Everard’s killing, Ashford’s MP says harassment of women on the streets “needs to be driven out of society”.

Damian Green notes how the outcry following the case has made him aware of just how widespread the issue is, as more and more people have come out with stories of harassment and violence on the streets.

Speaking to KentOnline on Monday, Mr Green said: “Sarah’s death is terrible in every possible way, and obviously it’s been brought home massively to all of us in Ashford because of where her body was found.

“Everyone feels hugely for the family and it’s brought home to us all the importance of safer streets for women.

“What’s been striking is that almost every woman has suffered some kind of harassment on the streets and that’s of course completely unacceptable and needs to be driven out of society.

“I think the response to the vigil [at Clapham Common] wasn’t handled very well and probably should have been done more sensitively.

“But allowing that to influence the police bill would be wrong because the problems at Clapham Common was over the interpretation of the Covid regulations rather than regulations on protests.”

To get the latest updates in ongoing cases, police appeals and criminals put behind bars, click here.

Read more: All the latest news from Ashford