A TAUNTON mum has expressed her 'relief' upon finding out her toddler who escaped from nursery was saved by a member of the public.

On Thursday, April 11, Chloe Willis's three-year-old daughter Maddison Powell was spotted walking alone along Bircham Road in Taunton at around 4.10pm.

The mum said she received a call from a close friend who had seen her daughter on the roadside.

Panicked, Chloe called Lyngford Park Nursery, where Maddison was supposed to be for the day - but staff explained that they didn’t know where her daughter was.

Luckily, a member of the public soon intervened and contacted with the police immediately, whilst remaining with Maddison, to ensure her safety.

The police arrived at the scene just minutes later, and accompanied the child back to the nursery.

Workers at the nursery said the young child was able to leave the site as their security gate was left open by a delivery worker.

Chloe expressed her gratitude to the woman who made sure her daughter was safe until they were re-united 20 minutes later.

"It felt good to know that we do still have decent people in our community," she said.

"Words couldn’t describe the relief I felt as a mum."

Lyngford Park Primary & Nursery have since issued a statement in response to the incident.

A spokesperson said: "At 4:10pm, on Thursday, April 11, a child from our nursery left the site as a security gate was left open by a delivery worker.

"As soon as staff realised a child was missing, a full search of the large site was carried out.

"A member of the public spotted the child on Bircham Road, and immediately contacted the police.

"The police arrived within minutes, and the child and the child's mother were reunited by 4:30pm.

"We are very grateful to this member of the public who kept the child safe.

"School and the parent have met to discuss the incident, including immediate and future safety improvement measures."

Police say they have referred the incident at Lyngford Park Primary & Nursery to Ofsted.

A spokesperson for Avon and Somerset Police said: "We were called at around 4:15pm on Thursday, April 11 by a member of the public reporting seeing a child walking along Bircham Road, Taunton.

"Officers arrived a short time later and found them in Bossington Drive.

"They established the child had left a nearby nursery and accompanied the child back to the centre where they spoke with staff about their security arrangements and spoke with the child's mother.

"Officers have made a safeguarding referral to the Office for Standards in Education (Ofsted)."