Police have been carrying out house to house inquiries and have put on extra patrols after a man grabbed a 12-year-old girl and tried to get her into his car.

The girl was accosted around 5pm last Thursday in Clarence Street, Folkestone.

The girl got away after a passer-by intervened. Officers are asking the man who helped to come forward as he might hold vital information which could help their inquiries.

South Kent Police spokesman Rosy Alexander said: “Officers investigating the incident are particularly keen to speak to a man who intervened during the struggle and it is believed prevented the girl being harmed.”

The girl was walking home on her own when she was approached by a man who allegedly grabbed her arm and told her to get into a vehicle.

She struggled and the male passer-by intervened. The offender let her go and drove off in the vehicle with another man who did not get out of the car.

The offender is described as white and 6ft 1in – 6ft 2in tall. He was wearing a black jumper with the hood up and dark coloured tracksuit trousers. The man in the car is described as having darker coloured skin and messy, curly brown hair.

Anyone with information, or who saw anything suspicious in the area at the time, is asked to contact South Kent Police on 01303 289180 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.