Police had to break into a car to free a seven-year-old boy who had been left inside in the heatwave.

Police had to break into a car to free a seven-year-old boy who had been left inside in the heatwave.

It was one of two incidents in which young children were left unsupervised in extremely hot weather, and police have warned parents to take care.

The incidents happened during the Lord Mayor's Procession in Norwich on Saturday, July 15.

Police found a three-year-old boy wandering around in Chapelfield Gardens in the heat of the day and when his mother was located she was too drunk to look after him.

And in another incident the seven-year-old boy was found in a parked car. Police forced entry to the vehicle and took the youngster to Bethel Street Police Station in Norwich.

Superintendent Jim Smerdon said: “These really are two appalling examples of children being left to suffer in the heat due to neglect and it is fortunate that these two youngsters did not come to harm.”

Both sets of parents were given strong words of advice and in one case they were reported to Norfolk County Council Children's Services.