A MAJOR police search for a missing three-old-boy, who travelled across the entire district by himself on a bus, ended happily this week.

Toddler David Atkinson, who is crazy about buses, ran off ahead of his mum, Gillian, on Bowerham Road in Lancaster and boarded the number two Stagecoach. He was spotted, an hour and a half later, happily wandering the streets in Heysham by the police helicopter.

Drained mum Gillian remembered the moment she lost her little boy: "Me and another mother had picked up our boys from Greaves Park nursery and the boys ran a little way ahead. Then a group of schoolchildren popped up and got in the way. By the time we got ahead of them the other little lad, Alex, was there but David was nowhere to be seen.

"I was frantic and it flashed in my mind that a man had been seen hanging around the school. The Jamie Bulger thing has come back up so that came in my mind as well.

"I saw a policeman on a bike so I spoke to him. Then there was a man who had seen a little boy like my David get on a bus. All the family came round and went searching. David's grandmother was walking around in tears stopping people in the street with a photo of him.

"I called my husband, Peter, who had to be driven home from work and the police thought I would be better at home as well. Peter was in a bad way about it and I was absolutely devastated. Then one of the officers heard on the radio that they thought they'd found him. I had to describe all his clothes and they confirmed it was him. They said Kingsway and I thought of the baths, I couldn't believe he'd gone all the way to Heysham on Kingsway street there.

"Straight away I was driven round there. He was really quiet because I think the police helicopter really scared him hovering just above. When I got him home he shut and cocked the front door after cuddling his Dad. He was quiet but after about half an hour he said, "I was on the bus and I couldn't get home." His Dad had to go back to work and he was a bit upset because David said to him, "please, please don't go to work, Daddy." I didn't sleep last night but it's coming a bit back to normal today."

Later Dad Peter confirmed little David was back to normal: "He's jumping about now, full of life and fun."

Operations Manager of Stagecoach in Morecambe explained that the company had stopped every coach in a bid to find David. She said that the toddler had boarded with a group of adults with children and that small children don't have to pay. She had spoken with the driver who had changed with a colleague later. The second driver didn't recognise the child as he apparently left the bus with other people.

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