A mother from Thamesmead has warned other people to be vigilant after claiming she was confronted by a man "pleasuring himself" in a stairwell as she walked home.

The woman, who does not want to be named, told News Shopper she was walking home to Clewer House - just off Yarnton Way - with some shopping at about 10.45am on June 6 when she spotted the man.

"It was completely out of the blue. I was walking up the stairs and I saw him out of the corner of my eye and thought nothing of it," she told News Shopper.

"As I have walked away, he called me back and said 'excuse me' - I thought I had dropped something I was carrying."

But when she turned around, she had a grim surprise.

"I could see his arm movements and his facial expressions. It looked like he was pleasuring himself.

"He had his lower half covered by the wall so I couldn't technically see anything," she said.

She added the man seemed like he "knew how not to commit a serious crime" because he made sure not to expose himself to her.

She told News Shopper she wants to warn people in the area about the incident, and described the man as black, clean shaven and with a well maintained afro.

He was wearing a dark blue jumper and dark jeans at the time - which she thought was odd because it was a hot day.

The woman also suspects he may live nearby, because a pin code is required to enter the site.

She admits she is still feeling a little bit wary of walking around the area since running into the man.

"I am quite wary and quite jumpy because I still have to use that stairwell. I have to take my daughter to and from school every day," she said.

The woman reported the incident to the police who conducted patrols of the area at the time. 

A Met Police spokesman said: "Police were called shortly after 11:00hrs on Wednesday, 6 June to a residential address on Wolvercote Road, SE2 following reports of a man performing a sex act.
 
"An appointment was made with the complainant the following day. No offences were disclosed."