Man flashes at two 11-year-old girls in alleyway in Stokes Valley, Lower Hutt

McCarthy said they've never had any issues in the alleyway at the dairy in the last 16 years. Photo / Google

Two 11-year-old girls are afraid to go out by themselves after a man exposed himself to them in a Lower Hutt alleyway.

The girls had just visited a dairy near the entrance to Stokes Valley on Saturday afternoon and were heading down a nearby alleyway, with the man walking ahead of them, said Emma McCarthy, the mother of one of the girls.

"He stopped and then he turned and faced them and he had his shorts down and he was waving his thing around," she said.

The girls "freaked out", ran back to the dairy, and told an adult, who called the police.

Police arrived with a dog and immediately headed down the alleyway, eventually finding a man. However the man did not fit the girls' description.

They were not allowed to see the man police found as it could jeopardise a future court case, McCarthy said they were told.

The girls, who are cousins, were "a bit shaken up", and McCarthy's daughter doesn't want to walk anywhere by herself anymore.

"[Today] they're going to the park and she's like 'who's going to watch us?'

"It's knocked their confidence."

McCarthy said they had lived in Stokes Valley for 16 years and never had any issues in that alleyway before. She called it "very unusual".

The girls have described the flasher as Caucasian, mid to late 30s with light coloured hair, a grey T-shirt, tan-coloured jean shorts and black shoes with a green tongue.

The girls "did the right thing" by running away and getting help.

McCarthy urged anyone else who experienced something similar to contact police.

Police confirmed they were called to the incident about 4pm on Saturday, and said no offender was identified or located.