A MOTHER has told of her fears after her baby became trapped in her car during the freezing weather.

Vicki Maddison was worried the extreme cold would be too much for nine-monthold Millie, who was born with a heart problem that required surgery.

She had been strapped into the child seat in the back of her 26-year-old mother’s Toyota Yaris, which she was forced to park on an industrial estate a distance from their home in Generation Place, Consett, County Durham, because of the heavy snow.

But when Ms Maddison shut the door, the car’s central locking was activated trapping the keys inside.

She said: “It was a moment of absolute panic and Millie was really, really upset.

“I get really stressed when she gets worked up because I worry about her heart, so it was awful.”

She rang her mother, father and sister, who raced to her aid, and a passer-by heard the commotion and asked two police officers who were in the area to help.

PC Steve Chinner and PC Lisa Watson took Ms Maddison’s mother to her house to get a spare house key, which enabled them to find the spare car keys from her home.

But they had to pass it to Ms Maddison’s father in his 4x4 after the police car became stuck in the snow.

Ms Maddison said: “It was such a relief to get Millie out.

I just cried my eyes out.”

She has thanked the police officers, who have also received praise from senior officers for their dedication.

Inspector Dave Turner said: “This is another example of the fine work our officers are doing under the current weather conditions.

“It’s business as usual for us.”