A mother in Wales has received a caution from police after leaving her six month old child locked in the back of her car while she went shopping.

Police were called by concerned members of the public who spotted the child in the car – which was in the Parc Morfa shopping centre in Swansea.

Officers used batons to break into the car and rescue the baby, before paramedics arrived to take the girl to hospital for a check-up - where she was found to be unharmed.

Police were waiting for the mother as she returned from shopping with her older child. The woman received a caution for child neglect.

Outside temperatures hit around 25 degrees in South Wales when the incident took place.

The issue of hot car deaths arises every summer, but this year it has been of particular note in the UK due to recent high temperatures.

But the topic has risen to the fore in other parts of the northern hemisphere too, especially the USA.

One American dad highlighted the risks of leaving children in hot cars by videoing himself sweating in his vehicle with the air conditioning turned off to simulate what such temperatures feel like – a link to this video can be found at the end of this article.

"I'm sitting in the car with the windows rolled up," says the father in the video, "because I want to know how it feels to be left in the car...sitting in the back...strapped into a car seat with the windows up and the doors locked..."

He goes on: "I would never leave my kids in a car like this...

"Don't be the next fool on the damn news," he warns.

High temperatures can of course also cause all manner of mechanical problems to a car, as our skilled breakdown cover operatives know very well. But such issues pale in comparison to the risks posed by hot cars to children and babies.

Watch the video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GsDaMYuB6vM