Doctor who left two children in car on 86F day criticised by police

A DOCTOR left two children in a hot car forcing police to rescue them, officers have revealed.

Surrey Police were called to the Morrisons car park in Reigate town centre after members of the public found the children, aged one and two, in the car alone. Passers-by managed to get the children out of the car and gave them water to cool them down. The incident took place on Monday afternoon, when temperatures in Surrey were recorded at 86F (30C).

Police later said that temperatures inside vehicles can reach more than 110F “within a very short time.”

News of the incident was revealed on Surrey Police’s Reigate and Banstead Facebook page, where an officer wrote that the children faced a risk “as serious as they come” and the outcome “could have been much, much worse” if the public did not take action.

They wrote: “While we hope this can be considered a one-off incident, it doesn’t distract from the fact that the potential risk is as serious as they come. This, coupled with the fact that the parent was a doctor and the act of leaving pets and children in hot vehicles is all over the public domain in the media, is worrying that this incident occurred in the first place.”

The post went on to strongly reiterate that people should not leave children or pets in hot cars.

A Surrey Police spokesman later said: “We were called shortly after 12 on Monday, Aug 6, to Morrisons car park in Reigate following reports from the public of two children under the age of three shut in a car in the hot weather.

“Officers attended and the two children were released from the car by members of the public and supermarket staff as there were concerns regarding the temperature in the car.

“It is unclear how long the children had been left unattended.”

Sergeant Ross Spanton said: “With temperatures in the 30s, young children and animals must not be left unattended in hot vehicles.”