A witness appeal has been launched to trace two men and the white van they were travelling in after a 10-year-old boy was asked to get into the vehicle on his way to a Royston school.

The boy was walking along Icknield Way near to the junction with Garden Walk in Royston when the incident happened at 8.02am on Monday, November 1.

A white van containing two men pulled up and one of the men got out of the van and asked the boy to get in.

The boy quickly walked away towards King James Academy Royston, which is in Garden Walk.

One of the men is described as having blond hair and the other brown. Both are described as being around 18 years of age.

At no point did either of the men try to physically grab or touch the boy.

Neighbourhood Inspector James Lant said: "This incident is currently under investigation and we are keen to hear from anyone who has seen a white van being driven in a suspicious manner or who may have also been spoken to in this way by men in a van.

"We understand that incidents like this are the cause of great concern and worry within communities and I want to reassure people that we take all reports of this nature very seriously.

"We are working to trace this vehicle and its occupants as soon as possible in order to establish the exact circumstances of the incident.

"We want to speak to anyone who was in the area at the time and who may have information which could help our investigation.

"We are also working with local schools to ensure that they are speaking to their pupils about staying safe when out and about and would urge parents to do the same.

"Any incident of this nature should always be reported immediately via 999."

Anyone with any information can give details online at herts.police.uk/Report or speak to an operator in the force communications room via web chat quoting crime reference number 41/101975/19.

You can also call the non-emergency number 101 and ask for Herts police.

Alternatively, you can contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or via the independent charity's online form at crimestoppers-uk.org.