Grandfather could face charges after children rescued from hot car

Waikato police are considering charging a grandfather who left two pre-schoolers in a hot car at a Hamilton shopping centre yesterday when he went to get takeaways.

It was around 30C outside and could have been 10C hotter in the vehicle.

The children had to be rescued after they became agitated.

Senior Sergeant Simon Cherry says no charges have been laid but police are making inquiries into that.

He says a referral has been made to the Child Protection Team, which deals with specialist child abuse cases and works closely with Oranga Tamariki.

The grandfather was also taking care of three other children that day, who were at a swimming pool.

Cherry said the message was quite clear when it came to children, pets and anyone else in a car.

He says they shouldn't be left in cars because vehicles can get very hot very quickly, which could result in tragic circumstances.

Cherry said the two pre-schoolers were cooled down with wet towels and ice and recovered quickly.