A REPORT of a ‘strange man’ in Lymm has been described as a misunderstanding following further enquiries by police.

Last week, the Warrington Guardian published details of the alleged suspicious activity by a man in a van after a parent posted a warning about the incident.

In the post, which had been published on Facebook, the woman wrote: "Parents in Lymm. Please be aware. A strange man approached our son in a black van with writing on it.

"He was driving normally and then stopped and asked him if he had seen his cat called Russell.

"My husband has driven out seeing if anyone is looking for a cat or driving along slowly but no one is so we think it's suspicious.

"Please be cautious if your child is playing out.

"If not and you have lost the cat then sorry but better safe and spread the word just in case."

But the incident has turned out to be a misunderstanding and the man was really looking for his pet.

The man, who has asked not to be named, said he was shocked to read that his search to find his missing pet, which was found later that day, had been construed as something more sinister.

He said: “Part of me thinks this was an over-the-top reaction but another part of me thinks this was just a concerned parent who was worried.

“I was honestly just looking for my dog. I can’t believe that I can’t just ask somebody a question without being called a strange man.”

A spokesman for Cheshire Police said: “We are always very grateful for reports of this kind or of any other suspicious behaviour.  

“We treat these matters seriously and will always investigate these types of incidents.

“In this case, it turns out that it was an innocent mistake and we are grateful to the Guardian for letting us know that the individual concerned has been in contact.

“He was a nearby neighbour whose pet Jack Russell had escaped from the garden and he was out looking for it.”  

“He has now been spoken to by police and the family concerned have been updated.”