A 24-year-old man has been charged with kidnap following an incident involving a small boy in the exclusive Canford Cliffs area of Poole on Saturday afternoon.

Police are appealing for witnesses after reports that a man “grabbed” a young boy as he waited with his father at a bus stop on Haven Road.

A Dorset police spokesman said the boy’s father had given chase into nearby De Mauley Road before managing to “grab” his son back.

Father and son left the scene a few minutes later after boarding a number 50 bus.

The blond-haired child at the centre of the investigation, who has not yet been traced, is believed to have been between four and six years old.

On Sunday, just hours before they revealed that a man had been charged with kidnap, police appealed for witnesses to what they described as “a suspicious incident” in De Mauley Road.

A spokesman said a skinny man, who was wearing a red top and black tracksuit bottoms, had been seen carrying a child.

Shoppers and business owners on Canford Cliffs village parade along Haven Road were shocked to hear of the drama.

A resident of nearby Carisbrooke, off Canford Cliffs Road, said: “I was at home all day but didn’t hear or see anything.

“This is really worrying and a pretty bad thing to have happened around here. I think it’s brilliant the dad managed to get his son back, but it’s still a very concerning incident.”

• Anyone with information about the incident, which happened about 4pm on Saturday, is urged to phone Dorset police on 01202 222222 quoting incident number 2:445.