A TODDLER was last night due to be reunited with his parents after he was found wandering alone in a busy street wearing just a nappy and a T-shirt.

The youngster – thought to be no more than two years old – was spotted in Blackbird Leys, Oxford, shortly after 8am yesterday.

Police officers were called to Sorrel Avenue and picked up the child – who had a dummy in his mouth – in Field Avenue.

Amber Williams, 37, said she asked the youngster where his mother was and he replied: “Sleeping”.

She said: “He was not upset. It did not look like he had been crying.”

The Field Avenue resident said she took a photograph and put it on Facebook in a bid to find the parents.She said she did not want to think about what could have happened to the child, adding: “There are double-decker buses coming through here.”

Mum-of-two Alison Haines, 42, also appealed on Facebook to trace the parents of the child.

The Field Avenue resident said: “It is very concerning to see a little boy running around at 8am on his own – especially in this day and age.

“I just hope mum and dad are found and they are reunited in the best way.”

Officers spent time knocking on doors in a bid to trace the child’s parents.

A mother-of-one from Field Avenue, who asked not to be named, said she had been upset by the incident as she had a three-year-old.

The woman said: “This is the main Blackbird Leys bus route so if the kid went in the road it would have been awful.

“It has really upset me. I have a child – how could you not notice your child going missing?”

Thames Valley Police spokesman Chris Kearney yesterday said the force did not know the child’s exact age but it was believed he was aged two or younger.

He also said yesterday the child did not appear to be injured and the force had not launched a criminal investigation into the incident.

An NSPCC spokesman said: “We know that young children can wander off in minutes and we understand the pressures that parents can face.

“However, we would urge parents to keep a close eye on their children and to never leave young children playing unsupervised.”

Oxfordshire County Council spokesman Owen Morton last night said: “A toddler was found wandering on the pavement in Oxford early this morning by a member of the public who contacted the police.

“Social care staff from the county council looked after the child while the parents were located and the matter was resolved.

“The child is now being reunited with the parents.”

 

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