A WARNING has been issued to parents of an online site where young people can talk to strangers - with reports of young people being coerced into exposure.

The letter sent to parents from Sweyne Park School in Rayleigh forwarded on a concern by PC Jane Grieve, Essex Police's Children and Young Persons Officer (CYP) for the Rochford district.

In the officer's warning, it states that an incident had been reported where young children had been coerced into exposing themselves online and being exposed to males engaging in sexual activity. 

PC Grieve did not say where this reported incident took place, but that the site was called Omegle.

The letter, seen by the Echo, said: "The description given by the website: Omegle is a free online chat website that allows users to socialise with others without the need to register.

"The service randomly pairs users in one-on-one chat sessions where they chat anonymously using the names "You" and "Stranger" or "Stranger 1" and "Stranger 2" in the case of Spy mode.

"This means that this website could be accessed by anyone with any intention without personal information needing to be handed over. The website is not based in the UK meaning that any young persons who log on are likely to be talking to persons from all over the world.

"This website can be easily accessed by anyone and maybe a trend amongst young persons. Please be vigilant and ensure that the correct safeguards and precautions are being taken.

"With the correct safety settings on WIFI and parental controls the website will likely be blocked. We are unsure on how young persons are aware of the website and how they are accessing it at this time but Investigations are ongoing into these incidents."

The letter encouraged all parents with concerns to report the issue to police on 101 or essex.police.uk.

A spokesman for Sweyne Park School said it did not have any specific cases where any pupils were coerced into exposure.

Essex Police have been approached for further comment.