Couple ‘leave sleeping baby alone in car while they do food shop’
A shocked passer-by has branded a couple "disgusting" after she claims they left a baby alone in a car as they did their food shop.
The baby, believed to be between the age of six to 12-months-old, was reportedly asleep while the pair were in the supermarket in Widnes, Cheshire, reports the Liverpool Echo.
A mum has now taken to Facebook to share details of the apparent incident.
She wrote: "To the disgusting couple that left a 6-12 month baby asleep in their car whilst they shopped…
"They came out with a near enough full food shop. I hope the policeman who came out and took over from me waiting with the car has let social services know.
"They don't deserve the privilege of having children if they think that is safe parenting."
Since the post was published, it has been liked more than 300 times, and prompted nearly a hundred comments.
One person responded: "Absolutely shocking, no child should ever be left alone not even for a second."
Another simply said: "Disgusting."
And a third wrote: "B***** hell that is shocking."
The law doesn’t say an age when you can leave a child on their own, but it is an offence to leave a child alone if it places them at risk.
Parents are asked to use their judgement on how mature your child is before deciding to leave them alone, eg at home or in a car.
However, babies should never be left alone.
The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) says:
- Children under 12 are rarely mature enough to be left alone for a long period of time
- Children under 16 shouldn’t be left alone overnight
- Babies, toddlers and very young children should never be left alone
Parents can be prosecuted if they leave a child unsupervised ‘in a manner likely to cause unnecessary suffering or injury to health’.
Mirror Online has contacted Merseyside Police for a comment.
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