POLICE have dismissed rumours sweeping Southampton that a boy was abducted from a city street.

Detectives have reassured worried parents that they have investigated a claim of kidnapping made by another child but found no evidence that a crime had taken place.

Officers are mounting extra patrols outside schools to calm fears.

Detective Sergeant Keith McKay of Bitterne CID told the Daily Echo that a young child had reported seeing a boy being abducted in Harefield but thorough investigations by police had found no evidence to back this up.

He said: “There was a report and we took it very seriously but there is no evidence to suggest it did happen. No one else with the child who reported it saw it happen and there has been no reports of a missing child.

“Extensive investigations were carried out, which included putting a cordon around Bramdean Road and Pine Drive, where the alleged abduction took place, but as far as we are aware nobody is missing and everybody is safe.”

He added that investigations are continuing but it is not a priority.

Rumours of attempted child abductions have been rife on internet social networking sites, claiming two men in a dark car have been seen trying to drag children into their dark car, outside a number of the city’s school’s, including St Monica Infants, Ludlow Infants and Woolston.

But Det Sgt McKay confirmed that there had been no allegations of attempted abductions, just “strange occurrences” involving a black car.

He said the control room has received a lot of calls during the last two weeks, involving a dark car from people as far as Fareham.

Det Sgt McKay said: “We have taken these reports seriously but after extensive investigations we can say there is no cause for concern and parents should not panic.

“It seems to my understanding that there is a lot of smoke but no fire.”