POLICE are stepping up patrols after a serial sex pest exposed himself to a 14-year-old girl.

The girl was walking along Fordside Avenue, Clayton-le-Moors, when a teenage boy rode past her on a bike and exposed himself.

PS Dave Reddin, of Great Harwood police, said: "We are linking this incident to six previous reports of a similar nature and are stepping up police patrols to try to catch this offender."

He said the 14-year-old girl had turned into an alleyway and the boy followed her, stopped within two feet of her, got off his bike and exposed himself.

The girl, he said, was upset by the incident.

The boy was described as 14 to15, white, 5ft 3in tall, slim, with short strawberry-blond hair, shaved at the sides.

He was wearing a baseball cap, dark jacket, black school-type trousers and white trainers.

Previous incidents occurred on a footpath from Hygiene to Blackburn Road, Great Harwood, on a canal towpath in the Dill Hall area of Church, on the canal towpath in Clayton-le-Moors and in woodlands near Wilsons playing field, Clayton-le-Moors.

All of the incidents have taken place during the early evening.

PS Reddin reiterated earlier warnings to women and girls, not to walk alone in isolated places.

Anyone who has any information about the latest incident at around 4pm on Monday should call the police on 01254 51212 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.