A 14-year-old girl was walking through an underpass at the Station Roundabout near to Asda at around 6pm on Saturday 21 January when she was approached by two men. One of them held a knife out toward the child, who was wearing headphones and could not hear if anything was said.

After seeing the knife, which is described as a retractable workman’s knife, the victim fled the scene in the direction of Holdenhurst Road.

The man with the knife is described as white, around five feet six inches tall and of medium build with blond hair. He was wearing a black Puffa-style coat and a beanie hat.

The other man is described as white and around six feet tall. He was wearing a long, black coat with a hood that was up.

Police Constable Jake Chester, of Bournemouth police, said: “This must have been a distressing incident for the girl involved and we are carrying out a number of enquiries to identify the men who were responsible.

“I am appealing to anyone who witnessed any suspicious activity in the area of the underpass around the time of the incident to please get in touch.

“I would also like to hear from anyone who was driving in the vicinity and may have captured anything of relevance on dashcam footage.”

Anyone with information is asked to contact Dorset Police at www.dorset.police.uk/contact or by calling 101, quoting occurrence number 55230010807. Alternatively, independent charity Crimestoppers can be contacted anonymously online at Crimestoppers-uk.org or by calling Freephone 0800 555 111.