It was later discovered the man, who had been taking photos of students outside Hornby High and Hornby Primary schools, both on Waterloo Rd, on Tuesday was gathering information for a bid to make the road safer to cross.
The Waterloo Rd resident is preparing to bring a case before the Christchurch City Council in an effort to make the road safer for students.
Both schools shared a Facebook post, which said: “Suspicious character alert! We have been advised by a staff member of Hornby High that after school today there was a man outside both of the schools taking photos of the children crossing the road. When approached by the staff member, he quickly disappeared. Please remind your children about stranger danger and to report suspicious behaviour to an adult.”
A later update on the Greater Hornby Residents Association Inc Facebook page clarified the incident and said the man was “acting in the best interest of the Hornby community".
“He apologises for any undue concern caused and will soon be talking to the schools asking for their support for proposal to council,” the post said.
