Two men have been arrested in connection with an attempted abduction of a 13-year-old girl in Welwyn Garden City.

Police said the incident happened on Friday (June 19) when the girl was grabbed by her arm in Eddington Crescent at 6.20pm.

The girl was out running when she passed a white Ford Transit van. Officers said a man left the vehicle and grabbed the girl's arm.

She managed to push him away before running home to safety, where her parents then called the police.

Officers said a 21-year-old man from St Albans and 20-year-old man from Welwyn Garden City have been arrested on suspicion of attempted abduction.

They are currently in police custody.

Detective Inspector Jason Finnegan said: "I know that news of this incident is understandably going to come as a shock to the community. "The victim was not injured but has been left explicably shaken by her ordeal.

"However I want to reassure her, her parents and the wider public that we always take reports such as these extremely seriously, and thanks to the diligence of several police officers we currently have two people in custody.

"A vehicle has also been seized as part of the inquiry and we are conducting extensive enquiries to determine the exact circumstances of the incident, with detectives looking at CCTV footage and speaking to residents in the vicinity of where it happened.

"I would now like to make a public appeal for witnesses to this incident – did you see what happened? Have you seen any suspicious activity in the area?

"We are particularly keen to hear from anyone who may have noticed any unfamiliar vehicles parked in or near Eddington Crescent in the past 24 hours."

If you have any information you can email jason.finnegan@herts.pnn.police.uk or report online at herts.police.uk/report.

Alternatively, you can contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or go to www.crimestoppers-uk.org.