Police offer reassurance after 'stories' of attempted abductions in Skegness

The alleged incident which seems to have sparked speculation happened last Tuesday at the Hildreds Centre.

At the time, Detective Sergeant Kara Nicholson said “The child is safe and well.

"We take these reports very seriously and I am happy with the swift response that Officers made in their investigation of this incident.

"Following a review of CCTV footage, we have concluded that no offence has been committed and the man has been released without charge.”

However, according to police, since then a story has been circulating on Facebook about a number of attempted abductions in Skegness and surrounding areas.

Police said: “We would like to reassure you that we have fully investigated the one report made to us, and the child in question was thankfully safe and well and there had been no attempted abduction.

“We haven’t received any further reports.

“We take reports like this extremely seriously.

“There is always a risk that rumours can be exaggerated, taken out of context or completely fabricated on social media. If you have any concerns do not hesitate to contact Lincolnshire Police.”

One mother on the police Facebok post doubted whether it was just a rumour.

Gemma Louise Bucklow said: “I don’t understand why anybody would want to make up something like this.

"I’ve been followed and my daughter but i didn’t report it. i shared it on social media so others in the same area are aware for there kids safety and there own.”

Not everyone agreed, though. Mark Westmoreland said: “What complete and utter nonsense – this is the problem with social media, it gives a platform for people to come out with complete and utter rubbish.”

Another mother urged everyone to be vigilant where their children were concerned.

"My daughter was seriously assaulted by a so called professional who had been fully checked before being employed.

"Luckily he was sent to prison for what he did to my daughter. The point is everyone needs to be very aware of the world we live in and keep a close eye on our children as their are plenty of people British and otherwise that would take them.”