A mum has issued a stark warning to other parents after a flasher approached her in woodland close to her daughter's school just before home time.

Rachel Davis was walking in the Enchanted Woodland in Marsh Street, Temple Hill, Dartford, when a man wearing nothing but a woolly hat jumped out on her while performing a sexual act on himself.

The incident happened just before 3pm on a school day in the woods close to Temple Hill Primary Academy, in Dartford.

She said: "It is very worrying as I know kids were about to finish school and walk through there.

"A lot of kids use this woodland daily and Temple Hill School do too. It's sickening."

Luckily for Rachel, who lives in Wodehouse Road, she was with her cane corso dog Ruby.

She said: "The man was obviously scared of her and ran back into the woods."

Rachel, 35, described the man as white, of slim build, and wearing a plain, black woolly hat.

She said he emerged from the trees a short while later wearing black clothes and ran towards the back entrance of the woods towards some houses.

She was just grateful she was not with her four-year-old daughter, Rosie, at the time.

She said: "We go there sometimes twice a day. Thank God I had my dog. I usually have her off the lead, but I had put it on her just before I saw him. She would have chased him."

Rachel is also concerned for her son, Reggie, who is 14 and often walks through the woods to get home from school.

She said: "It would be so awful if he were to come face to face with this guy. He would be traumatised."

The woodland is just a few minutes walk from Temple Hill Primary Academy, in St Edmunds Road, Dartford. The school responded to parents' concerns via a whole school post on the Class Dojo communication app.

The message stated: "It has been reported to us that a person exposed themselves at The Woodlands recently.

"This area is used by us as a school in the warmer months.

"We wanted to remind you that we risk assess all out-of-school activities and make visits prior to children attending.

"We also wanted to let you know, as your children may use this area for play out of school hours, that keeping safe is an integral part of our teaching in school and we will talk about ways to do this out of school as part of our work in class and assemblies this week."

Rebecca Reynolds, who lives in East Hill, Dartford, said she had faced a similar incident a few months ago and fears it might be the same man. She has contacted police with her concerns.

She said: "I caught him in my communal garden and asked him to leave as it's private property. He started jumping up and down and shouting at me [in a foreign language], then he exposed himself.

"The same guy has also been seen by the river at the bottom of East Hill, again exposing himself. This was back in October."

She is also concerned for her teenager daughters, who are 14 and 12, and who regularly visit friends on Temple Hill.

She said: "I would hate for my daughters to come across this man doing what he does in broad daylight. They would find it deeply disturbing.

"They should not have to see that when they are out and about with their friends."

Councillor Kelly Grehan (Lab), who is a trustee of Temple Hill Trust, said: "I am absolutely livid that this has happened and I'm so sorry for those who witnessed it.

"We are very proud of the wood, which is managed by volunteers and provides a lovely, natural space for the community to enjoy. One nasty man won't spoil that for us.

"Thank you to the police and council for increasing patrols in the area."

A Kent Police spokesman said: "Kent Police is investigating two reports of indecent exposure by a man in Dartford.

"The incidents happened in the Enchanted Woodland near Chaucer Way at around 2.30pm on Monday, February 27.

"The man is described as being white, of slim build, and was wearing a black woollen hat.

"Patrols attended the area and completed a search but did not locate the suspect. An investigation is under way and officers are appealing for witnesses or anybody with information that may assist their inquiries to contact them.

"Anyone with information should contact Kent Police on 01474 366149, quoting crime reference number 46/38024/23."