TWO men have attempted to drag two teenage girls with them in broad daylight.

The youngsters were standing outside Bed Base, on the corner of Furtherwick Road and Long Road, when they were approached by the two men.

Luckily, Mary Young, who works at the shop, was watching and intervened, causing the men to run off.

There have reportedly been three other similar incidents, one outside Benfleet Station on Tuesday, one yesterday morning in the Link Road area and another in Long Road on Wednesday. Police have not confirmed the other three incidents.

Ms Young said: “I saw a man of Mediterranean appearance walk past and thought he looked odd as he had cream coloured trousers on, with one leg rolled up showing a white sock and the other leg down.

“I thought something didn’t look right so I watched him walk past. The front of the store is windows so I have a good view of the road.

“He went up to the two girls who were waiting and said he wanted to touch their chests. They told him to go away.”

Mary added that the man walked off and she thought that was the end of it, until the man reappeared with a black man.

She said: “They were pulling on the girls’ clothes trying to make them come with them.

“I went out and said to the girls to come into the shop. They were very shaken.”

She watched the men leave and saw them make obscene sexual gestures further up the road.

Mary said: “I’m just so grateful that I was there to pull them in.

“I hate to think about what could have happened.”

The mother of one of the girls, who the Echo agreed not to name, said her daughter was shocked by the incident and wary now when going out.

A spokesman for Essex Police said: “Police were called to reports two girls had been accosted in Furtherwick Road, Canvey, at around 5.05pm on Wednesday.

“It was reported two girls had been grabbed by two men.

“The men left the scene when a woman intervened.” Call 101 with information.