[.B]Police are hunting a 'flasher' after a series of indecent exposure incidents in Hitchin and across and north Herts.[.B]

Officers are investigating a series of indecent exposures that occurred in Hitchin, Stevenage and Letchworth, and which they believe are all linked.

The first reported offence took place on Monday (July 5) in Hitchin.

At around 11.30am, a 17-year-old girl was walking along Bearton Road, onto Old Hale Way, when she was shouted to by a man who was sat parked in a black car.

The man asked if he could ask the girl a question. Having got her attention, she noticed that he was sat indecently exposed.

The second reported incident occurred on the same day, at 1pm, outside Tesco Express on the Bedford Road in Letchworth.

Again, the man was in a car and was indecently exposing himself in front of two girls who were on the grass outside the shop.

Two further reported incidents took place o Wednesday (July 8).

One in Bridge Road in Stevenage, between 2.45pm and 3.10pm, and a second around a similar time in Chancellors Road.

Again, a man in a black car called to the teenage girls and then exposed himself before driving off.

The suspect is described as a white man, aged approximately 40 years old, with short light-coloured hair.

He spoke with what has been described as a foreign accent.

Detective Inspector Angi Griffiths, from the Local Crime Unit, said: "I would like to reassure local residents that we are doing all we can to trace this man.

"As far as we are aware, he has at no time left the vehicle or tried to physically touch any of the victims.

"However, we would ask everyone to be on alert and to report any further incidents to us immediately.

"If anyone else believes they have witnessed similar behaviour I would ask them to contact us as soon as possible."

Please call 999 immediately if you think you are witnessing an offence take place or have seen the suspect in the past few moments.

Any other information should be reported via the non-emergency number 101 quoting crime reference 41/50949/21.