JUST one parent was arrested on suspicion of leaving one or more of their children at home alone in the West Mercia Police force area in the last three months of last year.

The figures come as it is revealed a parent is arrested every day on suspicion of the crime and at least 105 mothers and fathers faced criminal investigations for leaving their offspring unsupervised during the same time period.

The law does not specify an age at which parents can leave children alone, but those who do can be arrested and prosecuted for cruelty and neglect if it places them at risk - cases in the latest research involved children aged from just a few weeks up to 14-years-old.

The issue of whether, at what age and for how long parents should leave children alone for has repeatedly sparked controversy.

A Worcestershire father faced intense scrutiny after he left his two-year-old daughter alone for a few minutes while he went into a shop in Evesham to buy Calpol.

Tim Haines left Iset in his car but said he was in the store no longer than five minutes.

When he returned to the car, two police officers were waiting.

He was not allowed to drive home because of a problem with his tyres, so carried his daughter home.

Mr Haines said: "Then, about three weeks later there was a knock on the door and there were two policemen there. They said I was being arrested for wilful exposure of a child to risk of harm."

He was bailed and then charged but refused to accept he was guilty of any crime over the incident in 2004.

He denied the allegations against him but was found guilty at a magistrates' court and handed an absolute discharge.

Mr Haines, 51, was adamant he could not accept having the offence on his record and lodged an appeal, which was successful.

"The judge said 'Is that supposed to be a crime?'" he said.

It was more than a year before the original ruling was overturned.