A man has been approaching lone female runners and asking them for piggybacks.

He has stopped at least four women in Aberdeenshire since last month, claiming to be injured.

One incident happened in Laurencekirk on August 7, while another three occurred on the old Deeside railway line between August 28 and September 3.

Sergeant Andy Peerless said: "While on the surface these incidents may appear fairly innocuous, they have made the women involved feel extremely uncomfortable and alarmed, which obviously makes this a concern for us.

"Given the frequency of the incidents and the similarities between them, we are asking the public to be vigilant and report any concerns to police as soon as possible while our inquiries continue.

"Officers will be giving particular attention to the areas in question and are taking these reports extremely seriously.

"Anyone with information should contact police on 101 or contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 if they would like to remain anonymous."

The man is believed to be between 40 and 60, between 5ft 5in and 5ft 8in, with a stocky build a grey, receding hair. He was wearing sports clothes during each of the incidents.