Two friends have been left feeling terrified after being followed by an unknown figure in some woodlands near Gillingham, Norfolk.

Jasmin Nash, 19 from Gillingham and her friend Tristan Liffen, 19, were parked up outside Saint Mary's Church in Gillingham at 10pm on Saturday, October 23 opposite Church Road leading down to McDonalds.

At midnight, Miss Nash and her friend decided to walk down the alleyway towards McDonalds.

About half way down the alleyway Miss Nash suddenly heard some leaves rustling and has been left feeling terrified about what happened next.

Miss Nash said: "At first my friend Tristan did not notice the noise but I did so we stopped to listen.

"Tristan shined a light towards where the noise was coming from and suddenly this figure was shining an industrial light right at us.

"The figure came out into the alleyway and stood around two feet in front of us but the light was so strong we couldn't properly see them.

"The figure just stood there in silence and slowly started walking towards us.

"We both ran back to the car but by the time we looked back the person had vanished."

The whole ordeal has left Miss Nash struggling to sleep and she is concerned for other women's safety after alerting police about the incident at 3am the following morning from the McDonalds car park.

She added: "It felt like a horror movie.

"I can't stop thinking about it. It is always in the back of my mind.

"I would advise anyone to avoid the area, it is a black spot where anything could happen."

A spokeswoman for Suffolk Police confirmed: "Police were called shortly after 3am on Sunday, October 24, following reports of an incident in Gillingham.

"At around midnight, two friends parked their car near the church and, as they walked down an alleyway towards Mcdonalds, they heard something moving in the trees.

"As they shone a light in that direction, a person with a flashlight appeared and walked towards them before stopping. They did not attempt to speak to them or threaten them.

"The two friends then ran back to the car and there was no sign of the person.

"It is not known if the person was a male or female.

"Anyone who witnessed anything suspicious can contact Suffolk police, quoting incident number 53 of 24 October."