Police attempting to locate a man in Machynlleth “behaving in a suspicious manner” have identified the person and spoken to them.

Concerned parents claimed that the man had been following children in public places in the town, leaving the youngsters upset and distressed. Police set up patrols to find the man.

Hundreds of parents joined a Facebook Messenger group to share stories and sightings of the man and to warn others.

Parents on the group have called the situation “worrying” and “scary”.

Several reports were made to police regarding incidents in the past week.

Dyfed-Powys Police confirmed it “has received reports of a man behaving in a suspicious manner in the Machynlleth area.”

“Officers have attended the scene of each report,” a police spokeswoman said, “but the man has not been present during their visit.”

“Patrols will be carried out in the area and officers are carrying out enquiries to identify and locate the man,” the spokesperson added.

Police said on Monday that the man had been identified and been spoken to by officers.

“A man has been identified and, although his actions didn’t amount to any crime, he has been given words of advice by police officers in north Wales,” a police spokesperson said.

“The neighbourhood policing team will continue to visit the park as part of their usual daily patrol.”

See this week’s Machynlleth & Llanidloes paper for the full story, available in shops and as a digital edition now