On her first day at nursery school, Louise Hilton walked the
half mile there and back hand-in-hand with her mother.
The two-year-old did the same on her second morning and so,
when she later spotted an open door, had no hesitation in
striking out for home by herself.
Braving busy roads, a roundabout, two subways and woods
while narrowly avoiding a canal, the toddler made her way
back from the privately run nursery.
On arriving home, she announced to her astonished mother
Samantha O’Connor: ‘I have walked home on my own – aren’t I
a big girl?’
No one noticed she had gone and no passer-by intervened
even though her route took her past a busy pub.
Yesterday her father John Hilton, 30, said: ‘It is frightening to
think what might have happened had the wrong person seen
her.
‘There is a canal 50 yards from the house and she always tries
to jump in and feed the ducks but cannot swim.
‘It’s so shocking that they cannot even notice she’s gone.
Anything could have happened.’ Miss O’Connor, 26, took
Louise on the 15-minute walk to Windmill Hill Nursery near
their home in Runcorn, Cheshire, for the first time on Monday
and again on Wednesday.
At 2pm, there was a knock at the door when Mr Hilton, who
delivers cars for a living, was also at home.
‘We were stunned to see our little Louise standing there,’
Miss O’Connor said. ‘She was banging on the door shouting
“Mummy, Mummy, I’m home!” Anything could have happened
to her.’
Louise is believed to have slipped through a fire door left
open by workmen and then security gates after being allowed
to go to the toilet by herself.
Her parents, who are expecting their second child in
February, said they have not received an explanation or
apology and will not be sending Louise back.
‘I want them to feel sickened to the stomach like I did,’ said
Miss O’Connor. ‘We could have been dealing with a tragedy.
Thank God she made it home safely.’
Mr Hilton said he was also appalled that no passer-by had
intervened but added that Louise has not been told off.
‘She doesn’t know she’s done wrong,’ he said. ‘I give her ten
out of ten for initiative and getting home safely because I
don’t know what I’d have done if I’d lost her.’
The nursery declined to comment yesterday but Ofsted is
investigating. Inspectors have previously praised it for its
wide range of activities and ‘effective’ policies to safeguard
children.
Cheshire Police looked into the matter and said it has been
referred to the local authority.
Source: Ynaija
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