Man breaks into home before 'touching himself inappropriately' in 'extremely traumatic' Burscough incident

Police were called to reports of a break-in at an address in New Lane at around 1.25am today (Monday, February 22).

Officers discovered a man had entered the address but left after being disturbed.

However, police said a short time later he was seen "touching himself inappropriately" outside the same address.

Detectives have now released an image of a man they would like to speak to in connection with their enquiries.

Det Insp Pete Reil, of South CID, said: "This is obviously an extremely traumatic incident for the people involved and our enquiries are ongoing.

"We know this may have caused concern among people in the area but patrols have been stepped up and anybody with concerns or information is welcome to speak to an officer.

"We have a team of detectives and staff investigating this incident and we are doing all we can to find and apprehend this offender."

The offender, who reportedly spoke in broken English, has been described as white with a pale complexion and a round face.

He was around 5ft 9in tall, of medium build, with receding mousy brown hair.

Officers said the man was wearing a burgundy t-shirt, a dark hooded jacket, dark trousers and a dark snood at the time of the incident.

The offender and occupants of the address - two women in their 50s - are not known to each other.

The victims are being supported by officers.

Anybody with information has been urged to call 101, quoting log number 84 of February 22.

Alternatively, independent charity Crimestoppers can be contacted anonymously on 0800 555 111 or via their website crimestoppers-uk.org.

It is thanks to our loyal readers that we can continue to provide the trusted news, analysis and insight that matters to you. For unlimited access to our unrivalled local reporting, you can take out a subscription here and help support the work of our dedicated team of reporters.