Parents left distressed child alone in car in Kilkenny city as temperatures soared

By COLIN BARTLEY

A DISTRESSED young child was discovered by members of the public locked into a car in the midday sun.

The child was locked into a car, alone and in a very distressed state close to MacDonagh Junction Shopping Centre around lunchtime yesterday. Temperatures were over 20 degrees at the time.

Concerned members of the public called the gardai immediately as there appeared to be no sign of the child’s parents returning.

The gardai arrived at the scene to ensure the safety of the child. Soon after the parents of the child arrived back to their car.

A local Garda spokesperson told KilkennyNow.ie: “An issue arose yesterday, and in particular as it was warm weather, a young child was left unattended in a parked car.

“The Garda attended to ensure the safety of the child. Shortly after arriving the parents returned to the car.”

Due to legal restrictions involving incidents with children, no more information can be provided about the incident.

However, the Garda spokesperson said this is not the first incident of this type this year. And he warned it is never acceptable to leave a child alone in a car.

“Please do not leave children unattended in cars, particularly in the heat as it can be extremely detrimental to their health and can have serious consequences,” he added.

“There have been a couple of incidents over the summer and it is an annual issue where people see fit to run into shops or something similar for a few minutes and leave their children unattended.

“A few minutes can turn into a lot longer and this is of concern. Children should never be left alone for any length of time, especially in hot weather.”