Rochdale man cautioned for locking siblings in hot car

A man who left his younger brother and sister locked in a hot car in Rochdale has been given a police caution.

Passers-by dialled 999 after the boy, six, and his 10-year-old sister scrawled "help" in the condensation on the window on 11 June.

Emergency services were called to the scene in Yorkshire Street and the pair were taken to hospital as a precaution but had suffered no ill-effects.

Their 20-year-old brother has now accepted a police caution.

Children 'healthy'

He was initially arrested on suspicion of child neglect, prompting involvement from Rochdale social services.

Council officials said a social worker had since visited the family home and declared the children "happy and healthy".

In a statement issued on Friday, Greater Manchester Police said: "A 20-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of child neglect and was cautioned by police on 1 July."

Following the incident, social services said the man had gone into the town centre for longer than the 10 minutes he had planned.

He told police he had left the youngsters for no more than 20 minutes. The temperature that day was about 19C, according to the Met Office.