Police have confirmed that the “suspicious man” who caused an Eastleigh school alert is in fact just an avid wildlife photographer.

This comes after officers received reports that a man in Fleming Park was seen to “jump out of the bushes and take a photo” of an 11-year-old school girl as she was walking to Toynbee School on Monday November 18.

Schools in the area including Toynbee and Crestwood Community issued safety warnings to parents about the incident, encouraging them to not let their children walk to and from school unattended, and this was reported to the Police.

Officers then announced that they were working closely with schools and that they would "continue to patrol the areas at school start and leave times."

Although, after the investigation was carried out, and it was found that the man in question was actually just taking photos of the wildlife, and intended no harm to the student.

A Hampshire Police spokesperson said: “Good morning everyone, you may remember we posted about a suspicious incident reported to us on Monday 18 November about a man believed to have been taking pictures of a girl as she walked to school through Fleming Park.

“We want to let you know that we have identified the man and spoken with him. We’ve looked into this thoroughly and we are satisfied the man was not doing anything suspicious or untoward, although we appreciate that it was perceived that way. In fact, he is an avid photographer and on that morning was taking a pictures of the sunrise and wildlife in in the park, some distance away from the girl.

"We have let the girl’s family know, and the school that originally warned parents about a suspicious man.

“We understand that these kind of incidents can sometimes appear initially concerning, and we still encourage reporting of any suspicious behaviour to us. However sometimes there is, thankfully, an innocent explanation.”

While this investigation is over, the 101 service is available for anyone who wants to report suspicious activity.

Alternatively, to report anything anonymously, contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.