A series of blunders led to a two-year-old girl being dropped off at the wrong nursery school - and staff accepting her.

Little Lexi Francis, of Grove Hill, Brighton, had to be taken to a police station after no one turned up at the wrong nursery to get her after her grandfather, Trevor Francis, accidentally dropping her off there.

A staff member who collected Lexi at the nursery where she was dropped at 1pm on Monday, attached to Queen's Park School, Park Road, Brighton, did not notice she was not one of their charges.

It was only after Mr Francis, 51, left they realised Lexi did not usually attend.

The nursery staff then had to call around nurseries in the area to discover if any child had not turned up before finding her usual one in Tarner, Brighton - and Sussex Police were called.

Eventually Lexi was reunited with her mother, Lisa Francis, 28, who said the toddler escaped relatively unscathed from her ordeal.

But Miss Francis was upset Queen's Park accepted Lexi without noticing she was not a usual attendee.

She said her father dropped Lexi at the nursery because her older daughter, five-year-old Kylar, attends the school and he did not realise she did not.

Admitting her father's error, Miss Francis said: “I was incredibly surprised to get a call from the police saying they had my two-year-old daughter - you don't expect that until she is at least 16.

“She was fine, although hungry, but I think it is incredibly worrying it was not noticed at first, that she was not one of their usual children.

“I was incredibly shocked. Thankfully she was okay.”

Linda Francis, 55, of Hove Park Court, Hove, who is Lisa's mother and Lexi's grandmother, added: “It's funny but also worrying.

“She did not expect a call from the police.”

Anne Cox, headteacher of Queen's Park Primary and Nursery School, said: “The child was dropped off at 1.15pm outside of normal drop off time to a member of staff who was covering for a sick colleague.

“It was quickly realised the child does not attend our nursery and we acted swiftly to raise the alarm and chased after the grandparent.

“When this was unsuccessful the police were called at 1.35pm. The police asked us to look after the child until 3.15pm which we did.

“The child was then taken to the police station and then onto the mother.

“We have very strong safe guarding procedures in place and our staff worked extremely hard to ensure the child was safe and reunited with her parent.”

A Sussex Police spokeswoman said: “Police were called at 1.35pm on Monday (October 7) to report that a child had been dropped off at a nursery school who did not usually attend the nursery.

“It was reported about 15 to 20 minutes after she had been dropped off.

“Officers attended the school around 3pm when the child was not collected and was taken to John Street police station.

"Other local nurseries were contacted and the child was identified. Her mum was contacted and she was returned home at 4.50pm.”