PARENTS were shocked after two disturbing incidents were flagged up to schools.

Both happened in Westhoughton but are not thought to be connected.

In the first a year seven schoolgirl was left terrified after being approached by a clown with a knife on the way to lessons at her secondary school.

The following day parents dropping children off at a primary school spotted a man in nearby bushes with a camera who fled on his pushbike when disturbed.

In the latest incident in a disturbing craze, a person wearing a clown disguise came towards a teenage pupil while she made her way alone to Westhoughton High School in Bolton Road, Westhoughton, on Thursday morning.

The mother of the 11-year-old said that her daughter was walking down Park Road when she was alarmed to see the man shortly before 8.30am.

She said: “He had a knife in one hand and he was waving at her, it is very menacing.

“She is putting on a brave face but it has affected her, she didn’t want to sleep in her own bed.

“It has knocked her confidence and that isn’t fair, all she was doing was walking to school.”

Westhoughton High School headteacher Philip Hart said: “One of our young students did bring this to our attention.

“It was a ‘sighting’ from what the student said.

“We’re working closely with the police and have issued a warning to all our students and parents about being vigilant.”

The mother added: “I think it’s disgusting that people think it’s hilarious to go around scaring people.

“It’s getting out of hand to be honest. Soon it is going to end in disaster.”

The following day parents dropping off their children at St Bartholomew’s Cof E Primary School in The Fairways, Westhoughton, spotted something unusual at between 8.30am and 8.40am a little further along the road from the school building.

Headteacher Mark Jones wrote in a letter to parents later that day: “There was a safeguarding incident at school this morning before the start of the school day.

“This involved a man hiding in the bushes on The Fairways with a camera. When challenged, he rode off.”

It is understood a parent confronted the man with the bicycle “with a quiet word in his ear” and in reply the man told the parent he was observing if his wife was completing the school run before he cycled off.

Mr Jones said: “The vigilance of our parents was absolutely fantastic and they were obviously out to protect the children and whether there was an innocent explanation or not, they acted brilliantly flagging up that sort of behaviour and really supported the school in everything that we did.”

Police in Bolton have been alerted to both incidents and officers are investigating.

Police warning after spate of sinister 'clown sightings' across Bolton

It is understood as part of the menacing clown phenomenon, officers in Bolton have dealt with up to 60 incidents although the vast majority were teenagers playing pranks and not criminal acts.

A spokesman for Bolton police said of the St Bartholomew’s CE Primary School incident: “This was reported and an officer attended within 12 minutes to the scene.

“There was no trace of this male, no further calls and nothing since.”