Police are searching the canal path near Quedgeley after reports a man was approaching women and making sexual propositions.
The first incident happened at around 1.15pm on Monday, close to Severn Vale Drive, when the man approached a lone woman walking her dog and handed her a note asking her to expose herself.
He later approached four further women and acted in the same manner.
Officers are appealing for anybody who may have seen the male to contact them immediately.
He is described as a black man, 5ft 6in in height, aged in his 30s, wearing a black hooded top and black jogging bottoms. His mouth was covered with a balaclava and he was wearing glasses and carrying a notebook, which he showed to women he approached.
Anyone who sees the man is advised not to approach him but to call police on 999, quoting incident 244 of 17 October.
If you have also been approached by this man, or have any other information which could assist police, you can provide this to police online by completing the following form and quoting the same incident number: https://www.gloucestershire.police.uk/contact/af/contact-us/us/a-crime-that-has-already-been-reported/
