A 38-year-old man was due in court after an incident involving the alleged sexual assault and abduction of a young girl in Welling.

Matthew Cole, of Abbey Wood, has been charged with two counts of sexual assault on a child and two counts of child abduction.

It comes after an incident involving the alleged sexual assault of a girl in the area of Maxwell Road, near Hook Lane Primary School in Welling last Friday.

Two days ago Met Police issued an appeal to identify a suspect and released CCTV of a man walking in the area.

Following an investigation by the South East Safeguarding Team, a 38-year-old man was arrested yesterday.

Cole has since been charged and was due to appear in custody at Bromley Magistrates' Court today.

Earlier this week, Detective Inspector Spencer Thomas said: “I understand that incidents of this nature are both shocking and concerning for the local community.

"I would reassure residents that since this offence was reported to us we have increased uniformed patrols in the area and are working tirelessly to establish the full circumstances of the incident."

Read more: All the latest news from Bexley and Bromley