A three-year old girl escaped from her nursery and crossed a busy road alone before she was discovered close to her home, nearly a mile away.
The child reportedly left the Flying Start nursery in Romiley, Stockport, on Wednesday through a gap in the fence and walked 0.7 miles along a main road.
Her father said he arrived to collect his daughter at 3.20pm only to be told she was missing, according to Wales Online.
Staff at the private nursery went looking for the girl after they realised she was missing.
Ten minutes later they were told she had been found safe and near her home.
The nursery sent a letter to parents about the incident.
It said: "At approximately 3.15pm yesterday, a member of staff was stood manning the gate as parents were collecting children and another member of staff was also in the playground at this time talking with another parent.
"At approximately 3.18pm, the team were alerted that a child was missing from the playground. The team checked inside the nursery and also the perimeter of the building followed by a search of the school grounds."
One parent said the official explanation - that they escaped through a loose panel in the fence - does not make sense.
"It doesn't make sense because the times don't make sense", they said.
"The child must have been off the playground way before they say she was to travel the distance, it just shows they have no idea when she went, which is what is really scary.
"How did they not see her climbing through the fence? They are covering up because they don't know what happened."
A spokesperson for Flying Start said: “A child attending Flying Start nursery in Romiley, Stockport was discovered to have made their way, unescorted, off the premises and found their way home."
They said the nursery used their protocols for such an incident and "the child was found safe and well". An internal investigation has been launched and they are liaising with Ofsted.
The added: “We would like to reassure our parents that we have robust systems in place to ensure this situation does not and cannot happen again."
A spokesperson for Ofsted said: "We have been made aware of an incident where a child went missing from the nursery. We are working with the provider and external agencies to ensure that children are safe while attending the setting."
A spokesperson for Stockport Council said: "The council has been made aware of an incident. Any reports of this nature are taken very seriously, and a multi-agency investigation is taking place."
