Family make headlines following shocking moment of forgetfulness on holidays

A family have hit the headlines today after accidentally leaving their child in a motorway lay-by while on holiday.

According to numerous media reports, the shocked parents only realised their mistake after an alert was issued on French radio.

Travelling towards the French Riviera, the family accidentally left their three-year-old daughter by the side of the road and journeyed a remarkable 90 miles before discovering her absence.

Having been spotted by other holidaymakers in a rest rea of the A7 Autoroute du Soleil, the little girl explained that she was due to go to the seaside with her brother and sister, but she saw her 'daddy's car pull away'.

45 minutes after the child had been discovered, her oblivious parents learned that a little girl had been found on the A7 and were stunned to realise it was their child.

Commenting on the shocking incident, a police officer explained: "The family had passed Aix-en-Provence (150 kilometres away) and were going towards Saint-Raphael and none of them had noticed she wasn't there."

Upon being reunited with their child, her parents were questioned by authorities on Sunday evening in an effort to establish whether the welfare of the little girl was a cause for concern.

Speaking to the media, an officer explained the process, saying: "We are going to listen to what they have to say and talk to the prosecutor at Valence to see if this should be taken further."