A 51-YEAR-old man was arrested in Salisbury city centre today when he turned up "with a bag of thongs" to meet who he believed to be a 14-year-old girl.

The man arrived at Debenhams just after midday, believing he would be meeting a teenager he had been spoken to online.

Instead he was confronted by members of vigilante group, Justice for the Innocent, who had been using a decoy to pose as the girl online to snare would-be predators.

In a live video streamed on social media, members of the group confronted the man about a 200-page chat-log between him and the 'young girl', including messages telling her to delete the chats in case her mum found them.

The man also tried to defend himself by saying no crime was committed as the girl turned out not to be real.

And he had a bag full of lacy underwear that he had planned to give to the girl, according to the messages.

A police spokesman said: "We were called to Debenhams in Salisbury city centre at 12.30pm today and a 51-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of causing/inciting a girl aged 13 to 15 to engage in sexual activity.

"He has been taken to Melksham custody suite for questioning. Enquiries continue."

The man cannot be named for legal reasons.