POLICE are investigating an attempted bag-snatch in a North-East park - following reports of a gathering of a large group of youths.

An estimated 200 youths congregated in South Park, Darlington, on Saturday (October 18) evening.

A series of tweets from the @DarloTownPolice Twitter account that night revealed a male had attempted to snatch a bag from a young female in or around the park.

Messages from the account, managed by the beat team covering Darlington town centre, read: "Parents, did you know where your child was tonight? I'm guessing that the [parents of the] 200 youths we spoke to in South Park didn't."

A further tweet added: "Don't want to demonise the youth. Most were reasonably behaved, however, inevitably, a sizeable group weren't."

A final tweet said: "10pm at night, pitch black, large park, 200 youths and anyone else who happens to be lurking nearby. Not a safe environment."

Anyone with information about the bag snatch can call police on 101.