Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
A FAMILY ON their way to the French Riviera for their holidays left their three-year-old daughter in a motorway layby yesterday and drove more than 150 kilometres (90 miles) before realising they had “forgotten” her, police said.
The family only realised she was missing when an alert was issued on French radio, officers said.
The child was found by other holidaymakers in a rest area off the A7 “Autoroute du Soleil” (Highway of the Sun) near Loriol in the Drome region of southern France just after lunch.
All she could tell them was that she had a brother and a sister and that she was “going to the seaside” when she saw “daddy’s car pull away”, a gendarme told AFP.
It was only when they heard the alert – 45 minutes after the child had been found – that the parents called the police and turned around to drive back up the motorway.
“The family had passed Aix-en-Provence (150 kilometres away) and were going towards Saint-Raphael and none of them had noticed she wasn’t there,” the officer said.
The parents were being questioned yesterday evening by officers at the police station where the child was being looked after.
“We are going to listen to what they have to say and talk to the prosecutor at Valence to see if this should be taken further,” the officer added.
Millions of French families take to the roads during August’s annual holiday rush to the sea and mountains, putting often unbearable strain on the country’s motorway system and their own nerves.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
Still serving his country after all these years, Well done Sir take a bow.
@DERRY1973: He should be made a Sir. Plenty of others got it for a lot less
Some man for one man.
I’m not crying your crying….. what an absolutely legend of a man who we can all learn from
Is there a link to donate to the nurse’s fundraiser?
@Don Donoghue: link is in the article now too – https://www.gofundme.com/f/our-beloved-marymo-yesu-maame
Wow what An amazing thing to do. Still serving his country at his age. Well done to him. There is kindness in this world. This corona virus has killed and made so many people sick. However, it has brought out something called kindness in most of us. That man should definitely be made a Sir for his actions. Well done
An amazing man who we could all learn a thing or two from, take a bow Sir.
What a great dude.
When did the NHS become a charity?
@Rob Fox: Everytime the Tories get elected!
@Rob Fox: The money is going to various charities that support the NHS.
It is a damning indictment on the British government that such funds are having to be raised at all. I say the same about any country with a health system that isn’t working.
have your say