Police and social services were called to a popular British theme park earlier this week, after a couple left their one-year-old child alone while they queued for a roller coaster.
According to a report by The Sun, by-passers were left confused and shocked when they came across the child’s buggy, set down next to a bin at Thorpe Park, on Monday afternoon.
A man in his twenties, Daniel Bevis, spotted the buggy with his friends, and approached to investigate. He told the newspaper that he was horrified to find a baby girl inside.
Daniel and his friends stayed with the buggy for around 15 minutes, to see if the child’s parents would make an appearance. When they didn’t, he alerted the Park’s security.
After arriving on the scene and assessing the situation, security contacted the local police, who arrived in a matter of minutes.
When the child’s parents arrived back to the buggy, it emerged that they had left their child unsupervised for an hour. They had been queuing for the Park’s Colossus roller coaster along with three of their children, and claimed that their 11-year-old daughter had been charged with looking after their youngest.
Naturally, the identity of the family has not been released to the public, but they are believed to be from the West London area.
Social services were also called to the scene, and they have since confirmed that the incident is now being investigated by the family’s local authority.
Commenting on the incident, Daniel Bevis told The Sun: “We were so shocked that someone could leave a kid. What’s worse, is that security said it happens a lot.
“It’s horrifying – like the parents had no regard for their child. Anyone could have taken her.”
This news comes just weeks after a tragic theme park-related story, in which an 11-year-old died.
Evha Jannath was on a school tour at Drayton Manor theme park, in Staffordshire, when she fell out of the Splash Canyon ride and suffered fatal injuries.
An inquest into Evha’s death opened a fortnight after the harrowing incident, with the Health and Safety Executive and the Staffordshire Police carrying out an investigation.
We will keep you updated on the Thorpe Park incident as more information emerges.
