BAFFLED police are investigating reports that a naked dog walker has been leaping out of bushes in front of startled women.
Shocked witnesses fear his actions could become more sinister and police have called on anyone who sees the man to get in touch with them.
They admit there is currently no apparent motive for the incidents, in which the man had a small Jack Russel
l-type dog on a lead.
In the latest incident, two women were driving on the Essington Way roundabout when they saw the man emerge from bushes near the subway, opposite East Durham and Houghall College, at around 2am on Friday.
One woman said she is worried the man's actions may turn sinister and he may attack someone.
She said: "We were heading along Essington Way when in the pitch black this man sprang up out of the bushes with not a stitch on.
"It's about the fourth time I've seen him in the last three or four months and reported him. We hadn't seen him for five weeks so it was a bit of a shock. It's that same area every time.
"Peterlee is busy on a Thursday and Friday night and I'm frightened in case he grabs a young girl."
The man is said to have fair hair and a pot belly and aged in his late forties or early fifties.
Detective Sergeant Cliff Down, of Peterlee CID, said: "He could be a naturist or there might be something sinister, we just don't know. We are keeping an open mind."
Anyone who spots the man, or knows who he is, should contact Peterlee Police on (0845) 6060365 or Crimestoppers anonymously on (0800) 555 111.
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