Schools have issued a warning after two separate child abduction attempts near a school in Kenley.

Two Asian men, driving a white car, believed to be a Ford, attempted to abduct a young girl outside of the school on Monday and men matching the same description tried to snatch another pupil again on Thursday.

A parent who wished to remain unnamed said: “My son came home on Monday and told me that a young girl, perhaps nine or 10, had escaped from a man who tried to grab her and bundle her into a car.

“Apparently she kicked and screamed until he let her go and a white Ford car came screaming around the corner, which he then jumped into and drove away.

“We were sent a letter from my son's school warning us and I got a text telling me about the one yesterday too (Thursday.)”

The attempted abductions occurred when school finished for the day at the Hayes Primary School in Hayes Lane, Kenley.

Parents have been sent text messages from all schools nearby warning them to be “vigilant” and to call 999 if they see anything suspicious.

The local Safer Neighbourhoods team have linked in with Hayes Lane School and have been carrying out reassurance patrols in the area since the original incident on Monday last week.

The rest of the local schools across the area were also informed in relation to the incident and patrols have been carried out at those schools.

Inspector Chris Young from Croydon’s Safer Neighbourhoods team says: “We thank the public for their vigilance and we understand their anxiety.

"There have been various descriptions of suspects and vehicles going around. However, we are still working to establish the full circumstances of the two incidents and any release of a suspect description by us, at this stage, would be premature.

"There has also been another incident reported nearby in Warlingham but this is not believed to be linked to our investigations at this stage.

"We continue to ask parents to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activity to police.

We will continue to update the schools and the public with the progress of the investigation and offer help with educating children and parents around child safety.”

Any one with information should contact Croydon Police on 0300 123 1212 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.