AN investigation has been launched into a “suspicious incident” in which a man in a van approached a 12-year-old girl.

The man spoke to the girl in Hillside, Brighton between 9.11 and 9.57 am on Sunday.

He is white, bald and around 30-40 years old. He also has a southern accent.

The van he was in is white and believed to be an older model with no windows.

Police say there was also a passenger travelling in the van, but they were not seen in detail.

Officers investigating the matter are keen to speak to a man who was out jogging in the area, and who spoke to the girl shortly afterwards.

Detective Inspector James Meanwell said: “I would like to reassure the community that we are investigating and working to establish the full circumstances of this incident.

“We’d like to speak to anyone who saw what happened, or who witnessed any suspicious behaviour in the area around that time. In particular, we’d like to speak to a man who asked the victim if she was okay.

“Our officers will continue to proactively patrol our communities and urge people to contact us if they have any issues or concerns.”

Anyone with information is asked to contact police online or by calling 101 quoting serial 499 of 15/08.

Have you got a story for us? Email news@theargus.co.uk or contact us here.

Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to keep up with all the latest news.

Sign up to our newsletter to get updates sent straight to your inbox.

You can also call us on 01273 021 400.