A flasher is being hunted after a string of reports a man is exposing himself to young girls in Ashford.

Police have increased their presence in the borough after four separate incidents involving children as young as 11 within days of each other.

The force believes they might be linked and the alert has prompted extra uniformed officers, marked cars and increased foot patrols in the area.

The first incident was reported on Friday, January 10, when a white man with blonde hair is believed to have driven his white van into a bus stop in Maidstone Road where several young girls were waiting.

The suspect - described as aged between 20 and 25 and who was wearing jeans and a T-shirt - is reported to have been touching himself.

"The reports of indecent exposure are worrying, particularly as young girls are being targeted..." - Ch Insp Mitchell Fox

The next day, close to a sporting event in Kingsnorth Road, a man described as white and in his late 20s drove alongside an 11-year-old girl.

All the windows were wound down and he asked her for directions to Ashford town centre.

He had short spiky brown hair and was wearing a grey T-shirt - but no trousers. He was driving a silver car, possibly a Ford.

Then last Tuesday, a 12-year-old girl was waiting at a bus stop at the junction of Quantock and Maidstone Road when a white Ford drove up and stopped.

The girl saw the driver pull down his trousers and touch himself. She described him as being between 20 and 30 with short dark hair, clean cut and possibly with tanned skin.

Two days later, the same girl said she saw the same man in a different car, possibly a Volvo Estate. He drove close to the same bus stop and appeared to use his phone, but a bus arrived and he had to move.

All of the alleged offences occurred between 8.10am and 8.33am.

Ch Insp Mitchell Fox, from Kent Police, said: "The reports of indecent exposure are worrying, particularly as young girls are being targeted.

"We believe these instances may be linked and have increased our police presence in the area affected in order to reassure youngsters, their parents and the community generally that we take this type of crime extremely seriously.

"In the meantime, we would ask people to be more vigilant than usual and to report any suspicious behaviour, no matter how trivial is may seem at the time."

Anyone with information is asked to phone police on 101, quoting reference ZY/965/14.