Tears as tot gets stuck on tram

A crying toddler was left alone on a tram when her mother ran to avoid ticket inspectors.

The woman reportedly left the tram at Westwood Station, leaving a shocked fellow passenger to console the child. The doors closed and the tram set off with the two or three-year-old child alone and crying. The little girl ended up travelling to Freehold station alone.

A witness said: “We got on at King Street Station and noticed a woman with a girl and a young boy who was about 13. We pulled up at Westwood and there were ticket inspectors. The woman jumped off with the boy but left the little girl, who was crying.

“The doors started to close and we tried and open them with other passengers. Everyone was hitting the doors, trying to open them, but the tram set off with the mum outside and the little girl on board crying. It was really upsetting.

“We picked her up and looked after her until we got to Freehold Station, where we handed the girl over to police. We saw the mum arrive, she’d got a taxi and I think the boy had sprinted down from Westwood.”

Greater Manchester Police (GMP) and Metrolink both said the mother got off the tram with her daughter as she was challenged by ticket inspectors. Police said the woman was trying to buy a ticket when her daughter ran back on to the tram, which set off.

Metrolink staff contacted the tram andtold police officers also on board what had happened. The officers reunited the family.