Police may press charges against a father who left his 10-month-old baby in a car in blazing hot temperatures outside a Tuggeranong hardware store.

About 2.20pm police attended the Bunnings Tuggeranong store on Anketell Street, where members of the public reported seeing a 10 month old baby girl in the rear of the vehicle in distress and crying hysterically. The public and police were able to pull down the window and unlock the door.

Police found the father shortly after, who had gone into the store to purchase items and left the baby sleeping in the car, with the window slightly down. The baby was left in the car for up to 30 minutes.

ACT Ambulance officers attended and transported the baby to The Canberra Hospital for observation.

ACT Policing would like to remind the public of the dangers of leaving children or animals unattended in a hot vehicle in these conditions.

Sergeant Mark Rowswell said the temperature at the time in Tuggeranong was 37 degrees.

“The inside of a parked car during summer can be up to 20 to 30 degrees hotter than the outside temperature. Even leaving a window slightly open does little to cool the temperature inside the car,” he said.

“We will gain entry to vehicles in those situations, usually by breaking a window. In this case, the members of the public were able to pull down the window and unlock the door.”

If you see a child trapped in a hot vehicle, please call Triple Zero (000) for immediate assistance from both ACT Policing and ACT Ambulance.

If you see an animal trapped in a vehicle, in the first instance call the RSPCA on 1300 777 221 or call 131 444 for police assistance.