A toddler was dramatically rescued from a hot car by firefighters after he was heard crying in distress while trapped inside.

It is thought the boy, around 18 months old, may have been locked in the car for more than an hour as temperatures reached 25°C.

Fire crews had to smash the driver’s window and pull the little boy free from the Nissan X-Trail, which had been left in a car park in Saffron Walden, Essex, on Saturday.

The toddler was crying and distressed after the rescue, witnesses said.

A woman – believed to be the boy’s mother – later returned with another young boy before being ushered into the back of a waiting ambulance so her child could be seen by the St John’s Ambulance crew.

Police officers later spent more than half an hour speaking to the woman in the back of the emergency vehicle.

Witness Cheryl Thomas, 42, said: ‘It was unbelievable. We were all enjoying a day out and suddenly they announced this crying little boy had been left inside a hot car.

‘We could see the car park from where we were and everyone looked over to see paramedics outside the car, frantically trying to get in.

‘Everyone was looking round for a parent rushing over but no-one came. We couldn’t believe it when ten minutes later there was still no sign of anyone.

‘It was such a hot day, we actually got sunburn while we were out there so that poor little boy must have been in such distress.

‘It brings me to tears thinking about what he must have been going through.’

A ticket stub on the dashboard of the 4×4 suggested he may have been left inside the car for more than an hour.

Mum-of-two Cheryl said: ‘We just couldn’t understand why you would take one child out with you and leave one in the car for so long.

‘Who knows where she had been or what she was doing. She didn’t have any bags with her, just a big handbag, so whether she’d popped to a shop or not, I don’t know.

‘To leave your child for a minute is too long though, let alone an hour.’

Another witness, Jackie Waughman, said the boy’s rescue was announced over a loudspeaker at Saffron Walden Common.

It is understood the woman was later allowed to leave with the children in the car, as witnesses described seeing her drive away.

According to Child Safety Europe, car temperatures can rise 10 to 15 degrees every 15 minutes and opening windows does not significantly slow down the rate.

Even if it is 22°C outside, the inside of a car can reach 47°C within an hour.

Saffron Walden Fire Station posted a picture of the smashed window on social media and said: ‘We have been called to animals locked in cars while the owners go shopping but never a child.

‘We cannot stress enough how dangerous it is to leave any person, child or animal locked in a car in this heat.’

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