A PANIC-stricken mother frantically searched the streets when her two-year-old son disappeared after a day at nursery.

Little Lewis Mather had just spent only his third day at the nursery when he vanished after deciding to walk home alone.

Lewis was missing for more than half an hour before his relieved mother, Mrs Karen Mather, found him several streets away.

Mrs Mather had arrived at the Small Talk pre-school nursery in Leigh, at 11.45am to discover Lewis was not there.

She said: "I asked the staff, who had no idea where he was. I felt sheer panic."

His anxious mother was then informed by another parent that a woman had found a lost child down the road from the Scott Street nursery.

After chasing round the streets Karen found Angela Atkinson, who was feeding Lewis a yoghurt outside her Scott Street home a short distance from the nursery on the edge of Firs Park. Angela had seen the toddler from her window at about 11am and had rushed out to grab him.

She said: "I thought it was odd that such a young child was walking down the street on his own. As I dashed outside I saw him step into Wigan Road and shouted to two elderly women to grab him, which they did."

Not recognising the youngster, Angela walked him round the nearby streets, knocking on doors and asking if people knew where he lived.

Angela said: "I knew something was wrong as a mother wouldn't leave a toddler on their own for what was more than half an hour."

When Mrs Mather was finally reunited with her son she asked for an explanation from the nursery staff in a bid to discover how Lewis had managed to get out without being noticed.

But she added: "I'm so grateful to Angela for looking after him. I hate to think what could have happened."

Nursery manager, Sheila Galvin said: "I take full responsibility for the incident and I am very very sorry."

The matter was reported to Wigan social services who are investigating.

A spokesman for social services said: "We have received a formal complaint regarding the incident and the initial investigations have upheld that complaint.

"We treat such incidents very seriously and it was quite proper that Mrs Mather should draw it to our attention. We will be speaking to the centre manager at the nearest possible opportunity to discuss the appropriate measures to take."