A TIDWORTH childminder spent a nightmare 25 minutes in Andover's Chantry Centre on Monday after her toddler godson went missing.

In fact the lost two-year-old Jake made his way to the bus station, got on a bus and travelled around the River Way estate.

Judith Slater, who has looked after Jake since he was born, says she was distraught after the pair became separated in a split second while in the toilets on their way back to the bus station. She wants to thank everyone who helped in the search.

"He is quite small and must have had some difficulty getting on to the bus although he is used to buses. We travel on them regularly from Tidworth to Andover and then get one of the smaller buses from the bus station to the gym at Charlton," said Judith.

"When he went missing I asked a man if he had seen Jake come out of the toilets but he was nowhere to be seen. "I was in a complete daze."

Security was called and a number of people helped in the search including several people from the shops the pair had visited.

Jake was discovered on the bus after everyone else had got off.

"When I saw him in his little jacket I was on my knees crying and holding him and at the time I wasn't able to thank everyone who had helped," she added.

"But he seems to have regarded it as a big adventure.

"When he returned he did say 'I've been on a bus' and wasn't crying like I was.

"We are going out again shortly and I will be holding his hand very, very tightly."