Footage has emerged of a man touching himself in front of children at a busy park.
Police were called to Bowersdale Park at around 12.15pm yesterday (Thursday) following reports of suspicious behaviour in the area.
When officers arrived at the park in Seaforth they searched the area but the man had gone.
It is believed that the man had his hands down his trousers in view of a number of children in the area, before exposing himself.
The video was posted on social media yesterday as mums and children looked on in dismay.
Many parents expressed anger and concern on Facebook.
Police said the suspect was white, in his late 30s or early 40s, of large build, with dark hair and a long beard, and around 6ft tall.
At the time of the incident he was wearing black sunglasses and a black North Face jacket, with a face mask underneath his chin.
A police spokesman said: "At around 12.15pm, police were informed that a suspicious man was seen at Bowersdale Park. It is believed that the man had his hands down his trousers in view of a number of children in the area, before exposing himself."
Inspector Duncan Swan said to the ECHO : “We would like to appeal to the public who may have witnessed a man fitting this description in and around the Bowersdale Park area yesterday morning to come forward with any information that they might have as it could be vital to our investigation.
"Although incidents such as this are rare, I would like to reassure the local community that we are taking this matter very seriously. I would ask anyone with CCTV or dashcam footage from the area to please let us know. Any information, no matter how small, could assist our enquiries and help us find the man responsible.”
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Police said anyone with information is asked to contact them via Twitter @MerPolCC or on Facebook at ‘Merseyside Police Contact Centre’ quoting reference 21000174700.