A TEENAGE girl was grabbed by a male motorist near a Bishop Auckland housing estate.

Police are treating the incident, which happened near Bracks Farm at noon on Saturday, as an attempted abduction and have appealed for witnesses.

Officers said the 15-year-old girl stopped to chat to the driver, who was sat in an old white car in a car park at the entrance to the estate.

He asked her for directions and then grabbed her wrist through the open car window. She managed to twist free and ran to a friend's home nearby. The girl told police that the car's bonnet was dented and the front passenger seat had a torn blue cover.

She said the man was in his late teens or early 20s, tall and slim, with clear fair skin and medium blond shaved hair. His eyes were close together and he had thick eyebrows. He was wearing a plain silver ring on his right hand and a silver chain bracelet on his left arm, a white T-shirt and blue jeans.

PC Tony Elliott, of Bishop Auckland police, urged anyone who saw the girl and the man to come forward.

The car park can be seen from the A688 and passing drivers may have noticed the car.

Anyone who can help the police with their inquiries can call Bishop Auckland police station on 0845 606 0365.