POLICE have issued advice for bus spotters to think carefully where they carry out their hobby after a group of them were wrongly labelled as perverts.

A group of three men were seen taking photographs of a school bus outside Manningtree High School.

Parents raised concerns about the motives of the photographers and thought they could be paedophiles taking pictures of their children.

A Facebook post expressing the concerns went viral and was shared by more than 7,000 Facebook users with some of the comments becoming vitriolic and threatening.

However, the men were not sexual predators but rather bus spotters who gather information about the vehicles.

The incident was reported to the police but no arrests were made as no illegal actions had taken place.

The school has been advised to contact the police again if the group returns.

In the meantime, officers have issued a notice warning the bus spotters to consider their actions.

PC Robert Mcafee said: “We believe the group of gentlemen were taking photos of buses close to the school.

“Although no offences were committed, we would advise anyone from spotting organisations to think carefully about the location where they carry out their hobby. Taking photos close to a school, for example, isn’t really best practice.

“To save any confusion, we politely ask spotting groups to contact us to let us know where they’ll be and what they’re planning to do.”

One resident who wishes to remain anonymous, defended the men’s actions. She said teachers at Manningtree High School had asked the bus enthusiasts to stop taking photographs but they refused because they were on public ground and so were acting legally.

She said she was appalled at the aggressive comments left on the Facebook post.

In response to the posts, a Public Service Vehicle Circle Group spokesman said the men were known to be bus enthusiasts even though most of the comments made them out to be something more sinister.

He said he will not ask the bus spotters to stop taking photos of school vehicles but would advise them to think before they take them.