When little Charlie Gough decided to go for a wander from his Shropshire home he had no idea of the drama it would cause.

The three-year-old had managed to drag a stool and climb up to a box to get the front door key and let himself out after his father, Peter, had popped to the toilet.

The youngster, who suffers from autism, walked barefoot for about half a mile before he was stopped by a Doseley man walking along Hinkshay Road, Dawley – as his father desperately looked for him in the other direction.

Just minutes after Charlie had gone Mr Gough, 49, discovered he was missing and ran out of his house in George Chetwood Court in Dawley, but went in the opposite direction his son had gone. His mother, Debra, who was out working as a carer, got a call from her husband and dashed home to help in the search.

She said: “It was about 2.30pm on Saturday and my husband had just popped to the loo. The front door was locked, but Charlie had got a stool out of the front room.”

The 42-year-old added: “He just went the way we walk him to the park.

“He naturally thought he would just go to the park. But my husband went the other way.”

Meanwhile, as the couple were frantically searching for their son and had reported him missing, the good Samaritan had also called police.

And the police put two and two together and realised the boy the man had found was Charlie. The couple were quickly reunited with Charlie, who appeared none the worse for his adventure.

Now Mrs Gough said they wanted to thank the mystery man for finding their son and preventing him from getting injured.

“The police were fantastic,” she said. “As I was talking to police it was all unravelling. This chap picked him up.

“Obviously he realised there was a problem because Charlie couldn’t tell him anything so he rang the police.

“I would like to say thank you. Goodness knows what would have happened if this man had not come along.”