TWIN girls raised the alarm after a driver tried to tempt them into his van.

The 12-year-olds were on their way home from a play area in Plover Drive, in the Crookgate area of Burnopfield, near Stanley, County Durham, when the white, Transit-type van pulled up.

The driver did not speak, but gestured to the girls to come over, then patted the passenger seat, as though indicating they should climb inside. The sisters refused and ran home.

The incident happened at about 1.40pm on Tuesday.

Detective Chris Bentham of Stanley CID said: "We don't know exactly what this man's intentions were, but the sisters did exactly the right thing in going home and raising the alarm.

"At the moment, we have to treat this incident as suspicious and I would ask anyone who may have seen the van in the area on Tuesday to get in touch."

The girls described the van as fairly old and with no writing or signage on the side, leading police to think it was a privately owned vehicle, rather than company.

Yesterday, detectives issued an e-fit of the driver, who was described as aged between 30 and 40, plump, with short, dark hair. He had a dark complexion, that might he from a deep suntan, and was wearing a charcoal grey T-shirt.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Stanley CID on (01207) 232144.