POLICE are hunting a van driver who attempted to abduct a nine-year-old boy as he made his way to school.

The youngster was walking toward Radcliffe Hall Primary School in Bury Street at 8.50am on January 30 when the man pulled up alongside him in a white van.

The driver asked the boy to get in but he refused.

As the driver began to get out of the van, the boy ran away and reported the incident to his teachers who contacted the police.

The man drove off but it is believed he has been seen near other schools in the borough over the past few weeks.

Now, police are urging parents and their children to be vigilant as officers step up their hunt.

Inspector Dave McElroy, from Bury Police, said: "I do not want to alarm parents or children in the community but I would advise people to be aware of this man. I want to appeal to anyone who has information about this man or has seen him driving around in the area to contact police."

Following the attempted abduction in Radcliffe, staff at Radcliffe Hall sent letters to parents informing them of the incident while a special assembly was held to remind pupils of the danger of talking to strangers. Headteacher Mrs Gill Watson said the boy was shaken but not harmed and he remained in school throughout the day.

She said: "As soon as the pupil told staff about the incident, we contacted his mother to discuss what had happened and reported it to the police. We also asked Bury education department to circulate a warning to other schools and spoke to all our children about stranger danger.

"There have been no further sightings of the man around the school since this incident but we will remain alert."

Anyone with information can contact Bury Police on 0161 856 8127 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.