Social media users reacted with anger after a baby was reportedly left alone inside a hot car at a car boot sale near Leeds Bradford Airport.
Baby reportedly found alone
On Otley Old Road, near Leeds Bradford Airport, content creator Jody Lloyd-Francis shared a video of the incident. In a public Facebook post, she claimed a baby was found alone in a "very hot car" at a car boot sale, "just strapped into a car seat" with "no water, no adult, no milk".
She wrote that wardens attempted to find the owner before police attended. In an update, she clarified she was not the first at the scene and had been told the person who initially found the child immediately contacted police and followed their instructions.
She also said both parents were at the car boot sale, but attempts to locate them did not establish how long the baby was left. "Nobody will ever know how long the baby was there prior to being seen," she wrote.
Public fury online
LeedsLive reported the post had generated more than 5,800 reactions and over 1,200 comments by the morning of 2 August, with many users expressing concern for the child and debating how the situation should have been handled.
One commenter, Sparkling Cleans Gardens, wrote: "Why did no one smash a window? People smash windows for dogs left in a car all the time, not for a baby. I wouldn't have waited half an hour, no way." Sally Brown replied: "I would've smashed the window too much waiting around."
Responding, Jody Lloyd-Francis said staff at the event "were amazing" but were worried about frightening the baby and potentially getting into trouble with police. Another commenter, Teresa Parkes, claimed she overheard an officer tell the parents: "You don't know how lucky you are to not be getting arrested."
Police inquiry
West Yorkshire Police confirmed officers attended the incident and enquiries remain ongoing. A spokesperson said: "Police were called to a car boot sale off Otley Old Road, Bramhope, at 9:44am yesterday (2 August) following reports of child neglect."
"This related to a child reportedly left in the back of a car alone. The child's parents were identified and spoken to by officers. Enquiries are continuing to establish what happened."
