THE parents of a two-year-old boy watched in horror as their car was stolen from outside their front door – with their toddler still on the back seat.

Cheryl Collins, 25, and Paul O’Kane, 29, had just returned to their home in Skelmersdale from a shopping trip with their sons Shay, two, and seven-month-old Tommy.

But, as they unloaded the shopping, and with the keys still in the ignition, an opportunistic thief leapt into the front seat of the black Vauxhall Vectra and drove off at high speed.

Mr O’Kane gave chase with Tommy still in his arms, but tripped and fell.

An hysterical Ms Collins roused her neighbour, who called the police.

The couple then faced an agonising 45-minute wait as police searched for the missing car and toddler.

The Vectra was found abandoned less than a mile away, with Shay still in the back seat and apparently none the worse for his ordeal.

Incredibly, it seemed he had slept through most of the drama, which began on Sunday at around 3.45pm.

Relieved mother Cheryl said: “I am the luckiest mum in the world.

“I thought I would never see my baby boy again.

“I will never forget the sound of that engine revving. It was so loud.

“I was just hysterical.

“I ran to a neighbour’s house and banged on the door, and she phoned the police.

“I was expecting not to get him back. I thought whoever had taken him would just dump him out of the car and drive off.”

Police believe the thief realised almost straight away that Shay was in the back and pulled over, parking the car by the roadside.

The parents were reunited with their son around 45 minutes after he was reported missing.

Cheryl said: “It was the longest and the worst 45 minutes of my life.

“I just kept looking outside, hoping the police would bring Shay home any minute.

“We were just pacing around.

“There was nothing else that we could do. I felt so helpless.

“Then we heard over the police radio that the car had been found.

“The relief was overwhelming.”