SCHOOL pupils have been warned to be vigilant after an 11-year-old girl was twice followed home from school by a man with a rottweiler.

The Harper Green School pupil reported the incidents to teachers following the second incident after school finished last Thursday.

She said she thought the man had followed her once when she was on her own and once when she was with friends.

There is no indication that any communication or contact was made between the man and the pupil on either occasion, police said, but the report is still being treated as suspicious.

Pupils have now been advised to be extra vigilant when travelling to and from the Harper Green Road school.

The girl is now being collected by her parents each day since the last report, on January 22, so there have been no repeat instances.

It is not known how long the girl believed the man to be following her for.

Harper Green School flagged the incident up on their online alert service, School Safe, to make other local primary schools aware so they could warn parents and pupils.

The Ferns Primary School issued a warning, which read: "We have received a school safe incident report about a white male, 5ft 9in tall, of stocky build with brown hair, possibly with a rottweiler, following pupils home from the Harper Green area.

"Pleas be vigilant if you allow your child to walk to and from home alone."

Headteacher Andrew Foster said: "We have a system in Bolton called School Safe, which we use when we receive a report which may arouse suspicion.

"It might be a person that might be a threat to children or a number of people, and we can circulate this to all the schools.

"On Thursday last week we received a report from a couple of pupils that there may have been somebody who was following them home.

"In these circumstances the police would be informed but nothing substantive has resulted. We try to play safe.

"A week after the event and there have been no reports since.

"We always want pupils to report anything they think could be suspicious to us."

A police spokesman said: "An 11-year-old girl believed she was followed home by a man with a rottweiler.

"She thinks it has happened twice and her friends were with her on the other occasion.

"Since she reported it she has been picked up by her family each day."