Staff at two Stevenage primary schools have contacted police after spotting a man acting suspiciously nearby and taking pictures of each building yesterday morning.

Members of staff at the Lodge Farm Primary School in Mobbsbury Way and Camps Hill Community Primary School in Chells Way both made calls to the police after witnessing the man taking pictures.

The man, who did not approach or speak with any children, is described as being of oriental appearance, around 5ft 10ins tall, of slim build and aged in his late 20s. He had short black hair and was wearing a three-quarter length coat and dark trousers. He was carrying a backpack.

Police are keen to stress that no offence has been committed and that officers from the Stevenage Safer Neighbourhood Team are keeping ‘an open mind’ about the situation as they continue to investigate.

Team inspector Simon Tabert said: “I appreciate incidents of this nature do cause concern for parents and I would like to thank them and the staff for being so vigilant.

“We are continuing to investigate and have provided guidance to local schools should a similar incident occur again.

“It is possible that this person was one of a large number of students and teachers who were on a recent one-day exchange programme in Stevenage. The man’s intentions may well have been completely innocent, however it will be helpful to trace him so that we can confirm this.

“I would also ask anyone with any information about these incidents to contact us via the non-emergency 101. If you suspect a crime to be in progress, always dial 999.

“I would also urge people to remain responsible when commenting on social media about such incidents as speculation can be extremely unhelpful to any potential investigation and can cause unnecessary alarm in the community.”