A schoolgirl has been left traumatised by a man who cornered her on a Faversham bridge.

Terrified Grace Smith, 12, managed to flee to safety after a mixed race man begged for a kiss and urged her to come home with him.

Now mum Michele says she will campaign for CCTV to be installed and wants major security steps to be taken at Long Bridge off Faversham Rec, fearing a serious sex assault is almost certain to happen.

Abbey School pupil Grace had only just got onto the rail bridge when a man walking from the Makenade Avenue direction came up to her and demanded a kiss.

Scared Grace carried on walking, but he then asked her to come to his house. She said no but he ran towards her.

Grace was near the flight of steps that lead to Faversham cemetery and the Love Lane estate and she yelled at three teenagers playing football before the man ran off.

Grace returned to the Rec and shouted for her brother Jake, 15, who was playing football.

"Grace wouldn’t leave my side for two days, she couldn’t sleep and she was terrified..." - victim's mum Michele Smith

He chased the man who was still on the Rec and escaped towards Quay Lane, disappearing into an creekside alleyway near the Swan and Harlequin. Hampered by a leg injury, Jake was forced to give up the chase.

Grace said: "I knew he was a bit dodgy as soon as I saw him."

Michele, who lives on the Love Lane estate, is convinced the man knew his way around town.

She said: "Grace wouldn't leave my side for two days, she couldn't sleep and she was terrified.

"This happened at 6pm in broad daylight last Wednesday. The bridge is notorious and I'm going to campaign until something gets done to make it safer.

"If he had grabbed Grace he could have quickly taken her to the disused railway buildings under the bridge.

"So many children use the bridge on their way to school, it's just not safe. It's about time something was done and I believe CCTV is the answer, even if it's only installed at either end of the bridge."

Michele immediately put out a Facebook alert and Grace was interviewed by police.

Now she has vowed to invite Love Lane parents to join her campaign.

She has contacted Cllr Cindy Davis who fought for improved lighting.

Cllr Davis said: “Problems with the Long Bridge date back to when it was first refurbished in the late 1990s.

"Residents did not like the solid panels along the bridge and there was a lack of proper lighting.

"At the time there was a Love Lane residents association and I worked with them to lobby for more lighting, handrails and better treads on the steps.

"A few years later, again after much lobbying, Network Rail agreed to remove the panels to the dog leg bend on the bridge in an effort to dispel residents’ fears of being mugged.

"There had been one incident of mugging in the Recreation Ground at the time.

"The subject of the Long Bridge always crops up when canvassing at the eastern end of Watling ward, always about safety and the ongoing problem of graffiti.

"This is the responsibility of Network Rail which owns the bridge. If there was a way of introducing CCTV it would be very much welcome by the community. I would very much support a call for CCTV on the Long Bridge."