A two-year-old girl left a nursery unnoticed and walked half a mile home alone.
Louise Hilton left Windmill Hill Nursery, Runcorn, at about 1pm on Wednesday and soon after knocked on her parents' door saying 'Mummy, I'm home'.
It's believed a door at the nursery was left open by a workman, police said. The nursery has not commented. Louise's father John told BBC Five Live it was a 'shocking ordeal' and complained he has received no apology.
"She got out of school, electric gates and everything, walked half a mile, walked through the woods and was 50 yards away from the canal," said John.
"It's so shocking, it's unbelievable that the school cannot even notice she's gone. Anything could have happened. Somebody should be sacked."
The father alerted police, who said they have referred the incident to the council. He has since registered his daughter with a different nursery.
A spokesman for Halton Borough Council said: "The council has been providing advice and support to the nursery following notification of the incident."
The nursery, based at Windmill Hill Primary School, is private and Ofsted-registered. A Cheshire Police spokesman said: "At this stage it is believed the child escaped from the nursery after workmen left a door open.
"The child was unharmed and the matter has been referred to the local authority."