'White van driver' approaching girls near Edinburgh school prompts police investigation

Police are looking into a reported incident of a van driver who approached three young girls near an Edinburgh school.

The incident reportedly took place on a street next to Portobello High School around 2.15pm yesterday. Picture: Google

According to the reports, a van driver approached the three schoolgirls near Portobello High School and was "staring intently", leading them to run away.

The incident reportedly took place on a street next to the school around 2.15pm yesterday.

The three girls, who are of S1 age, were heading home via Park Lane when one noticed a white van drive passed them, before reversing and stopping next to them.

According to the reports, the driver had a white dog in his lap and was staring at the girls, who ran to one of the parents' homes nearby.

One parent told Edinburgh Live: "When they arrived at our house my daughter hammered on the door shouting, 'let us in,' and looked absolutely terrified.

"When they told me what happened, I phoned the police on 999 and they immediately went to see if they could find the van before coming to our house, they arrived within 30 minutes."

She said a similar incident involving a man in a white van with dogs had been reported in the same area last year.

A Police Scotland spokesperson said: "Enquiries are ongoing."

However, at this point, no criminality has been established.