A woman has been arrested on suspicion of neglecting a child after a toddler spent the evening being looked after at a police station.

Greater Manchester Police (GMP) said officers were called at about 4.20pm after the boy, possibly aged two or three years old, walked into a shop on Belle Green Lane in Higher Ince in Wigan, on his own.

Police said they had identified a parent and the boy, who had not been reported missing, was safe and doing well.

The force said a woman was arrested on suspicion of neglecting a child and was being interviewed by officers.

Enquiries were ongoing to understand how the boy came to be on his own, police added.

Police issued an appeal on Friday evening in a bid to reunite the toddler with his parents or guardians.

Police are appealing for the public’s help to reunite a toddler with his parents or guardians after he was found in Higher Ince, Wigan pic.twitter.com/6kjBrausOr

December 1, 2017
Inspector Nicola Williams, from GMP’s Wigan borough, said the child was appropriately dressed for the cold weather but had not been reported missing.

She added that he “just wants to go home” and that he “must be scared”.